


Soul Bound

by EmeraldLight



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Boys in Skirts, Depression, Dirty Talk, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Groping, Implied Mpreg, M/M, Slash, Snogging, mention of suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-09-06 13:41:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20292376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmeraldLight/pseuds/EmeraldLight
Summary: In order to save Draco, Harry agrees to something he knows nothing about. Now the two of them have to figure out how to handle being Soul Bound without driving one another crazy.On the other end of the spectrum, Seamus meets a very interesting boy and who knew Snape was in a relationship!Eighth year changes everything.





	1. Chapter 1

It all began in sixth year. Harry had found himself much too interested in every move that one Draco Malfoy was making, trailing after the blonde near constantly and finding excuses to be in the same location.

Hermione tried to convince him that either A) Malfoy was doing no wrong and should be left alone, or B) Harry was attracted to the blonde and needed to either get over him or do something about it. Neither of these situations were ones that Harry was going to accept, it seemed.

This particular stalking event - because in all honesty, stalking was exactly what he was doing - Harry found himself creeping through the hallways after Malfoy bypassed potions class and made a great effort not to be seen heading for the dungeon bathroom. He had nearly lost sight of him, but there was no mistaking the voice coming out of the bathroom.

Harry found himself slinking inside as quietly as possible, though the sight that greeted him was not what he was expecting - Draco Malfoy was standing with his back to the door, his hands clutching either side of the sink, head bowed and shoulders shaking.

“I can’t do it… I can’t…”

Harry realised that Malfoy was crying – actually crying – tears streaming down his cheeks. The realization made the hair on the back of Harry’s neck stand on end, and his heart lurched at the pain he was witnesses. The blonde gasped, knuckles turning white as he clutched the sink and, chest heaving, he lifted his head and saw Harry staring at him over his shoulder. Twisting around and drawing his wand, Malfoy found his hand shaking as he squared off against Harry. Instinctively, Harry pulled his own wand.

The two stood facing one another, hands gripping their wands tightly and waiting for the other to make the first move. He looked so broken, Harry admitted, seeing the defeat already written across Malfoy’s face. It was almost heartbreaking and the brunette found himself lowering his wand, no longer wanting to fight.

“Malfoy…” he spoke softly, tucking his wand into his pocket as he slowly approached the Slytherin, offering out his other hand.

“Stay away, Potter!” came the response, and while he still held his wand up and at the ready, his heart clearly wasn’t in the threat. Silver eyes watched emerald as Harry gently placed his hand over Malfoy’s, curling his fingers around the other’s shaking digits as he coaxed him to lower his wand as well.

“Let me help you,” he whispered, stepping closer. He surprised himself by using his other hand to gently wipe away the tears, though he wasn’t surprised when Malfoy jerked his head back.

“You can’t help me.”

“I’m the Chosen One,” Harry replied with a small smile, trying to ease the situation. “I can do anything, and I can save anyone, even annoying gits like you.” Oh yes, very smooth, insult him at the same time you offer to help him, that’s going to make everything okay. Well done, Harry.

His body was moving on autopilot, it seemed, this time cupping Malfoy’s cheek with his hand and gently wiping away the tears with his thumb. The two stared at one another as Harry released Malfoy’s wand hand and used his now free hand to make the same gentle motions on the opposite cheek.

“He’s going to kill me…” Malfoy tried, but Harry shook his head, moving his hands down over the blonde’s shoulders, across his chest, and coming to rest on slender hips.

“I won’t let that happen, Malfoy,” he promised, taking one final step forward to nearly press his body against the other teen’s. He was shorter, of course, but the motion was clear and as he lifted his chin, Malfoy allowed his forehead to rest against Harry’s.

“Why…? I’ve done things… I’ve been a terrible person…” The tears were starting again and Harry found his hands moving on their own once more, one remaining on Malfoy’s slender hip and the other lifting to one more cup his cheek.

“You haven’t done anything you can’t be redeemed for,” he answered honestly, feeling his heart beat faster as Malfoy leaned into his touch, silver eyes slipping closed. “Let me save you…”

“You can’t save him, Potter.” The voice startled both young males and Harry twisted, putting his body between Malfoy and the other male who had entered the bathroom, wand once more at the ready. Professor Snape sneered at him, waving a hand nonchalantly.

“Put that away, boy,” he said with a sigh, making no move to withdraw his own wand. “And step away from Mr. Malfoy.”

“I can save him!” Harry protested, refusing to move away from the boy he found himself suddenly very protective of.

“The only thing that will save him is not something you are capable of, nor would you be willing to do,” Snape looked down his nose at the brunette, unmoved by his plea. Harry gripped his wand tighter, his free hand moving behind him to rest on Malfoy’s hip, as though wanting to assure the blonde that everything was going to be okay.

“It’s my job to save everyone I can,” Harry asserted himself.

“Draco is destined to give himself to the Dark Lord,” Snape almost hissed, his voice dropping low. “His soul is the Dark Lord’s to take. The only thing that would prevent such actions is for him to be soul bound to another person.”

“Then I’ll do that!” Harry found himself speaking before his mind could fully process what he was hearing, nevermind the fact he honestly didn’t know what being soul bound to someone meant, or would entail.

“Potter…” Malfoy began, slowly moving out from behind the brunette and away from Harry’s gentle touch.

“I told you I would save you,” Harry responded quickly, twisting to face the blonde who was seemingly trying to escape.

“You’re just saying words, Potter. All words and no actions.” Snape seemed to only be egging Harry on, the smaller male reaching out to take Malfoy’s hand in his own once again. He once more tucked his wand away so he had a free hand available to touch Malfoy’s hip.

“Make it happen, Snape,” was the almost biting response, though Harry’s eyes never left Malfoy’s.

“Always jumping into things without knowing the consequences,” the Professor muttered, moving his gaze to his godson.

“This agreement goes both ways,” he continued, pointing a finger at the blonde. “YOU don’t know what this ancient magic entails either. Are you going to agree to this?”

“If I don’t… they’ll come for me… they’ll make me…” the words caught in Malfoy’s throat and he felt his emotions rising and threatening to spill over once more.

“Let me save you,” Harry insisted once again, squeezing the hand that he held. The two sixteen year olds observed each other for several moments before Malfoy nodded, turning to face Snape.

“Do it.”

“You’ll regret this,” Snape tried once more, heaving a large sigh. “Both of you will. Once the spell is cast, there’s no going back. Unless one of you dies, of course. Probably Potter.” Such an offhanded comment, though he lifted his wand once more and approached the pair, even as Harry scowled at him.

“I don’t want to be evil,” Malfoy almost whimpered, the fear very apparent in his voice. Snape’s face relaxed slightly and he released another sigh, this one much less frustrated.

“Draco… This is going to change your life in ways you don’t understand. As much as I want to see you taken away from your family’s way of life... “ his voice trailed off and he knew he wasn’t going to be able to talk either Draco or Harry out of their rash decision.

“I am more than the Malfoy name,” Malfoy said firmly. “Just tell us what we need to do.”

“Stand facing one another,” Snape instructed. “Grip each other by the wrist, arms crossed so you each form an X before gripping each other.”

“I’m going to owe you a big one, Potter,” Malfoy muttered, the two doing as they were told and gripping each other by the wrists. Harry shook his head, his eyes looking somewhat sad.

“What good is being the Chosen One if I can’t save at least one person who deserves it?” he asked, his voice sincere. “We can go back to hating one another as soon as this is over.”

*****

Sixth year was… terrible, and even that felt like a vast understatement. Harry was miserable, and as he turned seventeen and life progressed, things really only got worse. Even under the influence of the Horcrux, he seemed even more on edge than anyone would have expected. How Ron and Hermione put up with him was unknown, but he appreciated that they stuck with him through all of it.

Even with the fall of the Dark Lord, Harry still felt unsettled and antsy. He found himself sitting on the front steps of Grimmauld Place, chin in his hands, elbows resting on his knees, watching the world go by while he was hidden by the magic which concealed the building.

July was one of the hottest on record and while he knew he could easily cast a spell (or several) to banish the hot air and cool the house, he had yet to replace his wand. Part of him wished he had been smart enough to keep the Elder Wand, but disposing of it had seemed a safer bet.

Sirius had been trying to take his godson to the Alley to get a replacement wand, but Harry was sure it was just a ruse to get him new school books. He had missed his final year, after all, and the seventh year students affected by the war had been offered an ‘eighth’ year if they wanted to complete their schooling.

“I was thinking we could start renovating the house,” Sirius came to stand behind Harry, leaning against the open doorway and squinting in the sun. The older man was finally starting to look, and feel, ‘human’ again as he was no longer sickly skinny and had cleaned up his features.

“Harry? Are you listening?”

The brunette found his attention drawn to the park across the road, one hand drifting to touch the center of his chest as he felt something pull at him. Silver eyes found his and Harry’s eyes widened, seeing Draco Malfoy standing across the street from his home. It was only because Draco and Snape had spent time in hiding at the house that Draco could see past the wards that kept Grimmauld Place safe. He could see Harry and Sirius. The blonde stood, unmoving, with one hand gently touching the center of his chest.

“Draco…”

“Malfoy? What’s he doing here?” Sirius frowned, tilting his head ever so slightly, though he was more caught off guard by his godson moving to his feet and leaving the front steps.

“Harry?”

Harry barely glanced each way as he stepped out to cross the street, walking directly towards the blonde who stood unmoving. A car honked, coming somewhat close to clipping Harry’s heels, but he didn’t even notice. It wasn’t until he was nearly stepping on Draco’s toes that he realized he had crossed the road, surprise coloring his face.

“Why… why are you here?”

“Severus told me to come,” was the reply, Draco looking away for a moment as though embarrassed. “He… told me about what we did, in sixth year. It all makes so much more sense now.”

“What we did?” Harry frowned, finding himself unable to resist reaching out towards the blonde, though he caught himself before he made contact. Why in the world did his chest hurt? Why did he feel almost compelled to wrap Draco in his arms?

When had he became Draco and not just Malfoy?

“Can I come in?” Draco motioned towards the house, and the doorway where Sirius still stood, watching the two from across the street.

“Oh! Of course!” Harry felt flustered, reaching out and taking Draco’s hand before leading him across the street and up the stairs of his home. Sirius raised an eyebrow at the pair but said nothing, stepping aside as Harry lead Draco inside.

“Everything okay?” he asked, expecting the pair to make their way to the livingroom and instead being surprised when Harry lead Draco upstairs and towards his bedroom.

“Fine then, ignore me,” the older male muttered, returning to his original space on the couch. He, too, was without a wand and even with the windows open, the house was stupidly hot.

Draco followed Harry without complaint, not that he hadn’t been in the house before and didn’t already know where they were heading. Though he was sure their conversation could have easily taken place in the living room, or even the dining room, but he wasn’t going to complain.

“How bad have the headaches been?” he asked quietly, moving to sit on the end of Harry’s bed as he watched the other male close the bedroom door.

“How…”

“I’ve had them, too,” he sighed. “Since sixth year, actually, but they’ve been getting progressively worse. I thought maybe it was the war, you know? Severus has been keeping me safe and away from my parents ever since we were soul bound.”

“Soul bound?” Harry frowned, choosing to kick off his shoes and sit at the head of his bed, crossing his legs.

“That’s the spell Severus cast on us, in the bathroom,” Draco explained, shifting to remove his shoes as well and turn towards Harry, sitting fully on the bed. Long legs clad in denim were pulled up against his chest and he curled his arms around his knees, leaning forward ever so slightly.

“The spell he said would save you from Voldemort.”

“Yes, that one. He was right, you know, when he told us we had no idea what we were getting into. Soul binding is ancient magic… most witches and wizards have never heard of it, and it’s mostly only seen in old texts held by pureblood families.” Draco felt like he was rambling, picking at a worn spot on the knee of his jeans.

“Soul binding links two people together, for life,” he continued. “The well being of those involved are essentially woven together. It used to be a spell used instead of marriage, back when marriage wasn’t really a thing. Being soul bound to someone meant that your life was in their hands, and vice versa, and that you were to be together… forever.”

Harry was staring, he knew he was, his heart racing in his chest as he took in what Draco was saying, processing it in his mind.

“Being apart causes the soul bound to become irritable, on edge, antsy, and sometimes even physically ill. Like the headaches.”

“And Snape only revealed this recently?”

“I came to him about the headaches,” Draco sighed. “Potions weren’t working and I thought maybe he had something stronger… Turns out the headaches and insomnia isn’t something easily cured, and certainly not by potions.”

“So… we’re married? Essentially?”

“Well, it’s not like we can’t go shag other people… but being apart will wear us down more and more the longer we stay apart.” Draco knew this wasn’t what Harry was wanting to hear - the two of them were no longer enemies, but they certainly weren’t friends. They had been civil to one another while Draco and Severus had been staying in Grimmauld Place, even if Harry hadn’t been there very often after sixth year ended.

“I haven’t really thought about any sort of relationships,” Harry admitted. “I mean, Ginny approached me after the final battle, and we kissed, but it just…”

“Didn’t do it for you,” Draco sighed, knowing exactly what the brunette was talking about. He had also attempted to make romantic connections, but between being a Malfoy and the effects of the soul binding, or so he assumed, nothing had ever felt right.

“Because of the soul binding?” Harry asked, though he sighed as though he already knew the answer.

“Pretty much. Severus says the effects can be tamed by physical connections, like being in close proximity to one another. Holding hands, hugs, that sort of thing.”

“Sex?”

“Well, yes, that’s the general idea of being soul bound. It’s a lifetime commitment, usually made by couples who fancy one another. We only opted into the binding because one had to have an open soul in order to follow the Dark Lord. They needed to want to serve him and have no other ties that would prevent them from doing so. My soul belongs to you, and vice versa.”

Harry felt like his head was spinning and he once more found himself pressing a hand against the center of his chest, as though such a simple action could make everything calm down.

“I feel it too,” Draco sighed, touching his own chest. “The pull… the longing… the dull ache… like something is missing, inside.”

“I thought it was just the after effects of the battle,” Harry told him. “I never knew longing was such a real thing. It sounded like something girls giggled about, or people wrote about in fairy tales and romance novels.”

He reached out, gently taking one of Draco’s hands and tugging the blonde towards him. He didn’t have to explain, or instruct, the other boy simply crawled up towards where Harry sat. Foreheads pressed together and silver eyes met emerald green as they felt the tension within them begin to ease, simply from the contact.

“Spend the night?” Harry asked softly, managing a sort of half smile. “I think we could both do with a good rest, considering the information we’ve been given.”

“Agreed,” Draco nodded.

“I’ll get Sirius to pick up some take out and we can eat and process everything,” Harry smiled.

*****

Remus, Severus, and a white blonde male Harry didn’t recognize joined the three current Grimmauld Place residents that evening, Harry hugging Remus with a smile while Draco embraced his godfather, followed by the rather attractive blonde.

“You all made it,” Sirius grinned. “I was worried I had purchased way too much Chinese food, though I’m sure between the two of us, Harry and I could have made a substantial dent.” The shaggy haired male motioned for everyone to come through to the dining room, gently touching Remus’ hip as the smaller man walked by.

“I suppose introductions are in order,” Severus said as he pulled out a chair for the older blonde, though the other male remained standing in order to introduce himself.

“Maximus Maxwell,” he smiled, leaning forward to offer a hand out towards Harry. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, finally. I’ve heard plenty about you over the years.”

“You have?” Harry lifted an eyebrow, shaking hands with a somewhat confused look on his face. Everyone else sat down, making it known that introductions were only needed when it came to Harry.

“Severus, and then Draco, have spoke very highly of you.”

“They have?” More confusion, making Sirius chuckle and Severus roll his eyes. Draco found himself sitting next to Harry, subconsciously moving their chairs a bit closer together.

“Max is Severus’ husband, Harry,” Remus explained.

“Snape is married?!”

Draco groaned, reaching up to rub his temples. He was soul bound to a complete idiot.

“Yes, Potter,” Snape said with a highly unamused look. “For nearly twenty years now, actually.”

“Eighteen, to be exact,” Max supplied.

“I thought you were stuck on my mother!”

“I was,” Severus shrugged, nudging his husband’s chair in a tad more before he sat down as well. “She was the only woman I ever loved, and when I finally figured that out… I realized someone else had captured my heart.” Max rolled his eyes.

“Sev makes it seem a lot less romantic than it was,” he assured the brunette. “Lily and I were friends, actually, and while I didn’t spend a LOT of time with your parents, Harry, I knew them well enough. And I knew Lily well enough. And through her, I met Severus. If only he had kept his hands to himself until we had graduated, though.”

Harry fumbled the spring roll he had been collecting from the mass array of open take out containers that were spread across the dining room table. The fried torpedo of food bounced off the edge of the container and made itself a new home on Remus’ plate, making the scarred male grin.

“You are giving Potter way more details than I really think he needs,” Severus muttered, transferring food from the containers to his husband’s plate before he made any attempt to feed himself.

“Perhaps teenagers nowadays need this sort of warning,” Max grinned. “With his relationship with Draco only going to grow, they should be aware of what could happen.”

“I don’t have a relationship with Harry,” Draco tried to protest, even as he found his foot touching the other boy’s.

“You will,” Max continued, pushing back his long blonde hair. “Soul binding is what got Sev and I into trouble and it’s no doubt going to cause issues.”

“You two are soul bound?” Draco found this surprising, adding some vegetables and sweet and sour pork to his plate. Severus nodded, though he seemed reluctant to admit this.

“James made a mistake…” Remus said softly, biting his bottom lip for a moment. “There was a duel, and an accident…”

“Snape nearly died,” Sirius continued. “That Sectumsempra spell is very dangerous, and we all learned that the hard way when it bounced off James’ shield spell and reflected right back at Snape.”

“Soul binding does a lot of things,” Max said between bites of fried rice. “It can protect someone from giving themselves to the Dark Lord, like Draco, but it can also save someone from death. I was the only one who could offer my soul to help Severus. Professor Slughorn was never any good under pressure, and certainly not with healing spells… and Severus was the only one who knew how to counteract Sectumsempra anyways. But he knew how to soul bind us, and while I wasn’t with Severus at the time, I didn’t hesitate when he gave the option.”

“That’s how you know so much about soul binding,” Draco breathed, though he hadn’t realized he had been holding his breath in the first place. His godfather nodded, gently resting his hand on that of his husband and giving a light squeeze.

“Soul binding requires a connection between the two who will be bound, and it’s more than just a friendly connection.” Max spread his fingers and laced them with Severus’, smiling at the other male. “We didn’t know it at that time, but we each had a crush on one another. The soul binding just… made it official.”

Draco glanced at Harry out of the corner of his eye, finding the brunette to be staring at his plate of food.

“Well… eat up, everyone,” Remus tried to sound encouraging, but the tension between the two teenagers was almost something one could feel, and it wasn’t a nice feeling.

“How about we talk about the outcome of Mister Handsy, eh?” Sirius grinned, making Max blush brightly as once more the attention was on him and his husband.

“I… got pregnant in school…” he winced, trying to smile but it looked incredibly awkward. “We didn’t know that the soul bond could do such a thing, and it was certainly a surprise for the Healer that was brought to the school specifically to see me.”

“But… you’re a boy…”

“Yes, Harry, quite astute of you to notice that my husband is indeed sporting a penis,” Severus snipped. “Magic can do all sorts of things, and ancient magic is no different.”

“Well, it’s not like we’re going to have that problem,” Draco spoke softly. “It’s not like we’re going to be having sex or anything.”

Sirius quirked an eyebrow and found Harry suddenly pointing at him with a ‘shut your mouth, old man’ type of look.

“Silence.”

“Just sayin’, Harry,” he grinned. “I mean, from what Severus and Max have been saying, you can’t soul bond without a connection. Clearly there’s something between the two of you and it might take a while but it’s going to happen.”

“Don’t pressure them, Sirius,” Remus sighed. “If they do, or don’t, find themselves getting together, that’s completely up to them. They don’t need to be harassed by any of us.”

“I’m not harassing them!” Sirius protested, though he was quickly silenced Remus.

While everyone focussed on their food, dinner lapsed into a somewhat uncomfortable silence. Utensils clinked against plates and Harry suddenly noticed that Draco was using chopsticks, not a fork. He found himself drawn to the simple action, surprised that a pureblooded wizard would know what chopsticks even were, let alone how to use them. Long fingers wielded the thin sticks with precision and grace, bringing bites of food up to Draco’s mouth without much thought.

“Did you want some?” Draco was offering Harry a bite of his sweet and sour pork, offering it out, clasped between the chopsticks, while his free hand hovered underneath, just in case. It took Harry a moment to realize what was going on, a flush crossing his cheeks as he found himself leaning in and accepting the bite of food, the action making Draco smile. It was a nice moment… until Sirius squealed like a fangirl.

Eighth year couldn’t come soon enough.


	2. Chapter 2

Seeing as most of the seventh year students who had been present at the final battle had been given a graduation diploma despite not really completing their final year, most had opted not to return to Hogwarts for the oddered eighth year.

That meant that housing those who did decide to return was quite easy - each house received a spacious area where all returning students had a bed and a trunk, but a perk was the fact they didn’t have to share their showers or bathrooms with anyone else in the house. They were still communal showers, of course, but not having to share with the rest of the years was quite nice.

After spending the summer with Draco always within his sight, or at least almost always, Harry found himself growing antsy and agitated. He was doing his best not to snap at his friends, glad to see them returning.

Neville, Seamus, himself, and Ron were the only Gryffindor’s who returned, meaning the four of them had plenty of space in their dorm. It was quickly decided that the spare beds would be transfigured into couches and chairs, creating their own, private common room type area.

“With so little of us, they should have just put all the eighth years in the same dorm, regardless of which house they were in,” Neville suggested, looking around the room. “I mean, I doubt very many Slytherin’s returned…”

“Draco did,” Ron said. “But I don’t think he really had a choice. Snape is his godfather, after all, and if Snape had to come back, Draco did too.”

“Draco? Since when are we calling him Draco?” Seamus was sprawled on the couch, lifting himself up a little as he looked across the room.

“The war is over,” Harry sighed. “The war is over and Draco had no part in most of it, anyways. There’s no point in hating one another… we’ve had more than enough hate to last us all a lifetime.” Nevermind the fact Harry found himself soul bound to the blonde in question and while he still didn’t exactly understand what that meant, he knew that hating Draco wasn’t an option.

“I like that, Harry,” Neville smiled. “We all worked together last year, to fight back, even when you were away. All the houses, even a few Slytherin’s who risked themselves in order to provide us with the information we needed to stay safe. I like the idea of coming together and showing everyone that there’s no need to hate one another.”

“Except the school promotes inter-house rivalries,” Seamus said with a wave of his hand. “They pit us against one another in Quidditch and issue house points and reward the house with the most points at the end of the school year. If they wanted us all to be friends, they wouldn’t make it seem like we always have to beat one another.”

“Then we ask for change!” Neville said excitedly. “We tell them exactly what you said, Seamus. We should be supporting one another, especially now, and while they think the points and such are just a silly motivator, I don’t think they understand that it also causes harm.”

“I suppose that’s a good job for you, then,” Harry chuckled. “Take it away, Neville. You get to talk to the Headmistress and get her to do away with pitting us against one another.” Neville groaned, immediately wishing he hadn’t opened his mouth and supported the idea.

“Just try not to get them to cancel Quidditch,” the brunette continued. “I really want to play this year… I’m hoping to apply for a pro position, actually.”

“I thought you wanted to be an Auror?”

“Changed his mind,” Ron snorted, throwing a pillow at his best friend. “Pretty sure that has to do with the company he kept all summer, but I don’t blame him, I’d want to play professional Quidditch if I had the chance.”

Harry shot a look at the red head, not ready to try and explain his new relationship with Draco, especially the fact they had spent the entire summer sleeping in the same bed. While the others chatted about future plans, memories of the summer flooded into Harry’s mind and he couldn’t help the small smile that crept across his lips. Getting to know Draco had been a lot better than either of the boys had anticipated, and while sharing the same bed had been awkward and almost uncomfortable in the beginning, it quickly became routine. Being so close to one another had resulted in some of the best sleeps Harry had gotten in years, and he knew Draco had felt it as well.

“You with us, Harry?” Seamus had sat up fully when Harry had failed to respond to a question, the three nearly-adults watching the brunette with curious expressions.

“Harry!”

Harry jerked, suddenly aware that he had become the center of attention, flushing.

“Sorry, lost in thought, I suppose,” he muttered, running a hand through his messy hair.

“We should get down for dinner,” Neville changed the topic. “It’s just us eighth years tonight because everyone else doesn’t arrive until tomorrow, so maybe we can all sit together? All the houses?” He straightened up a little, as though an idea was forming in his mind.

“That’s it! I’m going to have all of us, regardless of house, eat at the same table tonight! There aren’t many of us, so it won’t be an issue at all, and the Headmistress can see that we don’t need to be so strictly segregated anymore!” And with that, Neville was off like a shot, heading for the Great Hall in order to put his plan into motion. The rest of the boys followed, laughing and playfully shoving one another as they jogged after their friend.

Jogging around the last corner, Seamus was the last of the group to make it to the Great Hall, though he found his journey abruptly ended when he slammed into another body, sending the smaller person sprawling on the ground. Granted, he wasn’t all that large himself, standing only 5’8, but the other person was quite slender compared to Seamus’ more bulky build.

“Shit! I’m sorry!” Seamus couldn’t help the fact that his eyes were drawn to the lightly tanned legs of the person he had knocked over, followed by the uniform skirt and tapered waist, but what caught his attention the most was the white blonde hair and striking, bi-chromial eyes - light blue and dark brown.

“It’s okay… I was in the way…” The girl accepted Seamus’ offered hand, allowing him to pull her up off the floor and back onto her feet.

“I should have been watching where I was going,” the boy grinned sheepishly. “Are you… new? I mean, I don’t remember seeing you before, and it’s only supposed to be us eighth years here today.” The girl simply smiled and headed out of the Great Hall, humming to herself as she vanished around a corner. Seamus momentarily wondered if he had met a ghost, but quickly reminded himself that he had helped the girl off the ground.

He was still confused as he came to settle at the table Neville had chosen for them. Clearly his request to seat all the houses together had been granted as only one long table was available, the rest had been vanished.

As he sat, Seamus caught sight of Harry and Draco talking quietly at the farthest end of the table. They looked almost shy towards one another and he had no clue what they were discussing, though they certainly weren’t arguing. He wanted to ask Ron what was going on, seeing as the redhead had spent the last week of summer in Grimmauld Place with Harry, but the other students were arriving and Neville was trying to encourage everyone to sit together and not simply group up with their house.

“Is Draco the only eighth year Slytherin who came back?” Hermione had arrived at the table, choosing to sit across from Seamus. “I don’t see anyone else… not that I blame them. I mean, only a small handful of them were bad, but the Slytherin name has taken quite the hit. Honestly, I certainly didn’t expect to see Malfoy here, especially since he didn’t come back last year.”

“We’re calling him Draco, now,” Seamus told her. When she raised an eyebrow at him he simply shrugged, motioning down the table to where Harry and Draco sat.

“Neville wants the houses to stop hating one another,” he explained. “That’s why we’re all eating together tonight, and Neville wants it to be more than just tonight.”

*****

Sleeping quickly became something Harry despised, though his attitude during the day wasn’t much better. Despite taking only the classes he was interested in (he technically graduated last year, after all) - Potions, Herbology, Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense Against The Dark Arts (because why not) - Harry’s mood continued to fluctuate. It didn’t help that the eighth years had been grouped with the seventh years when it came to classes, and the remaining Slytherin students had been given their own classes due to the hostile feedback coming from others. This meant that the usual combination of Slytherin/Gryffindor classes weren’t taking place. Meaning Harry only saw Draco at meal times, and only if he actively sought out the blonde. Slytherin’s weren’t exactly welcome at the new communal tables, even if they wanted nothing more than to prove they weren’t grouped into the same line as the Death Eaters and their children.

“I thought the nightmares would have stopped when You Know Who fell,” Ron sighed, sitting up in his bed yet again, on yet another night, as Harry tossed and turned in his bed, groaning and muttering.

“He was fine the first night,” Neville frowned.

“It was the first night he spent away from Draco,” Ron said before his eyes widened and he realized what he had let slip. Seamus pumped a fist.

“I knew it!”

“Shh! You’ll wake him up!” Neville flailed a hand across the room, even if it was mostly dark and the only light came from the moon outside.

“He’s so exhausted that I don’t think a bloody bomb would wake him up,” Seamus shot back. “We should just start charming his bed to keep the sound at bay, that way we could all get some sleep. Or we tell him to bring Draco up here.”

Ron could almost hear the smirk in Seamus’ voice and he dropped his face into his hands, groaning.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he sighed. “It’s just… I spent the last week with Harry and Draco and they seemed pretty close. And I know they shared a bed, and I know it wasn’t for sex. Something is going on between them and when they spend the night together, he seems a lot more relaxed.”

“He was pretty chipper when we all got here,” Neville admitted.

“He was more relaxed than I’ve seen in years,” Ron told them. “It was like having the original Harry back, the one I knew before everything went sideways. It was fun!”

“And he never told you what was going on?”

“I never asked,” Ron shrugged, not that anyone could really see him. “They seemed really happy and Sirius and Remus didn’t see anything weird about it, so I didn’t think to question it. We’ve all changed since the war, and I don’t have a problem losing an enemy and gaining a friend.”

“He’s certainly a lot different than what I remember from sixth year,” Seamus agreed. “Granted, he wasn’t here last year at all. I thought that would have been because of his parents, but when he didn’t even show up at the final battle…”

“Snape hid him,” Ron told them. “He saved Draco from having to join HIM and hid him away until everything ended. Granted, that’s kind of a shitty move, seeing how many people died…” The room went quiet with that comment, remembering those who had fallen both before the battle, and during.

“Ron… I’m sorry about your brother…” Neville tried, but there was no response. Percy had made some terrible choices when the war first started, that was something everyone knew, but he had redeemed himself in the end, throwing himself in front of the curse that should have killed Fred. Sacrificing himself to save his younger brother. That didn’t make things any easier on the family, and many still felt that the name Percy Weasley was still associated with a traitor, but the Weasley family knew better.

*****

In an effort to boost morale, Headmistress McGonagall arranged for a variety of bonding events, starting with a Halloween party. And not just any sort of Halloween party, a Muggle inspired one where everyone got to dress up!

Of course, this also meant that everyone was scrambling for a date, meaning Seamus was suddenly determined to find the girl with the bi-chromial eyes and ask her to attend with him. It took some effort but soon enough he spotted the familiar white blonde hair and approached the group of Slytherin’s.

“Hi there,” he flashed a smile as the blonde turned to observe him. “How are you? No lasting effects from being knocked down, I hope?” The girl frowned, looking Seamus up and down as confusion became apparent on her face.

“I’m sorry?”

“I ran into you, that first night,” Seamus reminded her, still smiling, though he was starting to regret approaching her. “I knocked you to the floor.”

The students around her chuckled a little, and the blonde shook her head.

“I think you’re confused,” she told him. “I’ve never met you before.” One of the girls leaned over to whisper in the blonde’s ear, making her nod.

“You must mean my brother,” she continued. “We’re twins, after all, and his long hair doesn’t help people tell us apart. He’s a Hufflepuff.” She pointed across the room to where a group of students were sitting at a table, working on their studies. Seamus went to thank her but she had already turned back to her friends, resuming the conversation they had been having before being interrupted.

Taking another deep breath, Seamus headed across the Great Hall to approach the blonde, the right blonde, once again. He was sure he had knocked over someone wearing a skirt - those long legs, lightly tanned, with firm thighs, certainly remained in his memory.

His introduction was no more elegant than his first attempt with the blonde sister, though his smile was much more sheepish. This time around, though, the person seemed much more personable, smiling and moving to his feet as Seamus greeted him.

“Hey! I’ve been wondering if I would see you again.” The girl had been right, she and the boy were incredibly identical: long, white blonde hair, those blue and brown eyes, and even the same height and build. Though Seamus would admit, the boy had more slender hips and obviously didn’t have any breasts - his sister was quite busty.

“I wanted to make sure you weren’t injured,” he stammered, realizing he had been staring and simply standing there, in silence.

“No lasting effects,” the boy smiled brightly. “But you really didn’t hit me all that hard, and you were more than kind enough to help me up.”

“I still feel really bad about that,” Seamus admitted. He couldn’t help but notice the curve of the boy’s lips as he smiled, the peek of pearly white teeth, and the way his nose crinkled ever so slightly.

“My name is Zephyr Maxwell,” was the introduction, the boy offering out his hand. Seamus was somewhat surprised at the formality but shook hands anyways, smiling.

“Seamus Finnigan. It’s nice to have a name to put with the face.” Not to mention those damn legs.

“Did you really come over here to ask me if my butt still hurt, two months after said incident?” Zephyr asked playfully, perfect teeth finding his bottom lip for just a moment or two.

“WouldyougototheHalloweenpartywithme?”

Zephyr blinked several times and his eyebrows dipped as he attempted to make sense of the rushed words that had come spilling out of Seamus’ mouth. One of the other people at the table (Ginny, Seamus realized) leaned back a little in order to speak with the blonde.

“He wants you to go to the Halloween party with him,” she grinned. “He’s asking you out.”

“O-oh!” Zephyr blushed rather brightly, his eyes widening a little. “Really?”

“Yeah… I am,” Seamus nodded.

“I’d like that,” Zephyr admitted, before frowning a little once again. “You… know I’m a boy, right?” The blonde was well aware of his outfit on the night he had first met the Gryffindor, and how it could cause a lot of confusion.

“Yeah, I know,” Seamus smiled. “I really don’t think I care.” The smile that spread across Zephyr’s face make Seamus’ stomach do a little jump - what the hell was up with that - and he didn’t think he could find the blonde anymore attractive, but he did.

“I’ll see you at seven, then?” he continued, resisting the urge to reach up and brush a piece of loose hair from Zephyr’s face.

“I’ll be ready,” Zephyr nodded. “But I’m sure I’ll see you around. The party’s still a week away, after all.”

There were several moments of somewhat awkward silence before Seamus turned and walked away, worried that if he stuck around he would say something stupid and make Zephyr take back his decision to go on a date. Of course, he quickly became aware that the group took only moments to jump all over Zephyr, demanding do discuss what had just gone on.


	3. Chapter 3

Halloween dawned warm and bright and while students barely had the ability to pay attention during their classes, and dinner was nothing but students being forced to eat quickly instead of skipping, seven o’clock came all too soon, yet took forever.

The party was themed - masquerade. Nice robes and a flashy mask and it was strange how it was hard to tell who was whom. The wizarding world often tried to follow along with the Muggles and their traditions, but when over half the school population didn’t know what superheroes were, it was hard to play dress up.

Harry hummed quietly to himself as he waited for Draco at the top of the dungeon stairs, absently rocking on his toes. While he had been able to see his friend during meal times, and in the evenings, it didn’t provide the connection they both craved. After all, they couldn’t simply curl up on a bench somewhere and hold one another, that simply wouldn’t do, especially not at the school. Often he wondered why they couldn’t simply say they were dating, or perhaps they could have Snape make an announcement explaining the soul binding and how it was affecting them, but he wasn’t sure he wanted anyone to know about that. It was bad enough that Ron had told the other boys about he and Draco sharing a bed, though he was grateful they hadn’t asked him about it.

“Hello Harry.” Silver eyes observed the brunette from behind a black mask that was decked out with the typical rhinestones and feathers. Harry himself wore a red mask, a Gryffindor through and through.

“You look great,” he grinned, offering out his arm with a dramatic swish of his robes. Draco laughed, taking Harry’s arm and stepping against his side.

“You look positively Gryffindor,” the blonde smiled. “I should have known you would be so… average.” Harry stuck out his tongue and lead Draco down the hallway, heading towards the Great Hall.

“I’ve missed you,” he admitted. “I thought that seeing you a few times a day would be enough, but I guess after spending every night for two months in the same bed… it really isn’t.” Draco rested a hand on Harry’s, squeezing gently.

“Maybe it’s time we had a talk with the Headmistress,” Draco sighed. “Severus said this would happen, but we’re young and stupid and we thought we could handle it.”

“Let’s enjoy the party,” he said with a smile, changing the subject as they approached the Great Hall. “I want to dance with you and not care what anyone thinks.”

They smiled and waved at Seamus as they entered the hall, passing the Irish teenager who was waiting for his own date to arrive. He wore a black mask as well, glancing around people as they blocked his vision of the hallway. It was barely time but he couldn’t help but worry that maybe Zephyr had changed his mind.

How the blonde had managed to sneak up on him was unknown, but a gentle pair of hands suddenly reached around and covered his eyes, careful not to press too hard on the mask.

“Guess who?”

“Zephyr,” Seamus smiled, turning to face his date. He nearly jumped in surprise when the arms around him didn’t lower, instead coming to curl gently around his neck. Those beautiful bi-chromial eyes found his, even partially hidden behind the golden mask that Zephyr wore, and he immediately knew that Zephyr’s eyes had taken the place of his long legs in his dreams.

“You look beautiful,” he was speaking softly, even if it was somewhat hard to hear him thanks to the shuffle of students and the music playing at the far end of the Hall. Zephyr smiled and blushed none the less, his fingers seeking out the short hair at the base of Seamus’ neck, toying with it gently.

“I was worried you were maybe playing a mean joke,” the blonde admitted, pouting for just a moment. The action drew Seamus’ eyes to his lips and he found himself wondering how soft they were. Hormones.

“Never,” Seamus assured him. “I’m a Gryffindor, we don’t do stupid things like that.” There was a pause before he continued, grinning. “Well, we do stupid things, but not stupid things that would cause someone pain… erm… emotional pain. I mean, pranks can sometimes cause physical pain--” Zephyr giggled, releasing him in order to press a finger against Seamus’ lips.

“Let’s go inside and grab some snacks, drinks, and a table before all the good places are taken,” he interrupted, his other hand seeking out Seamus’ and lacing their fingers. Before the other boy could respond, Zephyr lead him into the party.

The party seemed to be a great success, especially with no one really being represented by their houses and being able to mingle with one another unhindered. For once, the Slytherin’s were able to attempt to make new friends, if only for one night.

Of course, when you give a bunch of students access to copious amounts of sugar, there will be shenanigans. This meant that all the teachers were roaming through the Great Hall and through the entire school, keeping their eyes open for signs of students breaking the rules.

This is how Professor Snape would come to find two of his students in an empty classroom, snogging. Deeply.

Zephyr had been the one to lead Seamus out of the Great Hall and towards an empty classroom not far from the kitchens, tugging the slightly nervous eighteen year old inside. He was being quite bold, not something he was usually known for, but he couldn’t stop the feelings brewing inside him.

Seamus had let out a surprised squeak when Zephyr had made him take a seat in the chair behind the Professor’s desk, his eyes going wide behind his mask. The surprise grew as the blonde straddled his lap, gentle hands reaching behind his head to untie the ribbon that held his mask in place.

“Zephyr…” he mumbled, feeling his heart rate pick up and his stomach do a little flip. And that wasn’t the only thing increasing. The blonde on his lap smiled and dropped the mask on the desk before reaching up to remove his own.

“Am I being too bold?” he asked softly, blushing brightly. Seamus shook his head, lifting his hand and cupping Zephyr’s soft cheek, drawing the blonde closer. The moment their lips connected, Seamus swore he felt his entire being surge, but that might just have been his hips. As Zephyr’s arms curled around his neck and the kiss deepened, Seamus’s hands came to rest on slender hips.

All too soon the two found themselves rocking into one another, hips grinding together. Seamus pushed at the robes Zephyr was wearing, feeling them flutter to the ground and leaving the blonde clad in a button down top… and that damn skirt.

Seamus groaned, his hips lifting as he realized what Zephyr was wearing. Granted, he had no idea that this was something he was into, but as his hands began to wander, it was clear that neither of them were going to complain. Zephyr made the sweetest noises against his lips and they only made Seamus more intent on drawing more of them out.

“Fuck,” he panted, his hands firmly sliding over Zephyr’s backside and hauling their hips together almost roughly. The blonde on his lap whimpered, pressing his face against Seamus’ neck and nipping the smooth skin he found there roughly, making the other boy groan. Feeling Zephyr’s toned body against his own was quickly driving him crazing, his erection rubbing against the blonde’s and making Zephyr moan.

“For the love of Merlin, take your hands OFF one another!”

Seamus jerked. He knew that voice. His hands shot into the air, as though he had been caught stealing. Zephyr, on the other hand, twisted to peer over his shoulder, blushing and giggling.

“Hey papa…”

“Get off of him, Zephyr,” Snape sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I expected this sort of thing from your sister, but I didn’t think I was going to have to deal with you as well.”

“Papa?” Seamus was highly confused, watching Zephyr remove himself from his lap and come to stand in front of their Professor. He quickly covered himself with his robes as he stood, hiding his straining erection.

“Your last name is Maxwell, though?” he continued, peering between the blonde and their dark haired teacher, not seeing the connection.

“Yeah, we took our dad’s name,” Zephyr smiled sweetly.

“But his last name is Snape?”

“That’s my papa,” Zephyr laughed. “My dad is Maximus Maxwell. He and papa decided it was best to take dad’s last name so we wouldn’t have any issues when we finally came to Hogwarts.”

“Snape is gay?” Seamus found himself gawking at his most feared Professor, making Snape scowl.

“Who I choose to marry is none of your business, Mr. Finnigan,” he sneered, though his attention quickly turned to his son. “And you. Get to your dorm and stay there until I come to speak with you, do you understand?”

“Fine,” Zephyr huffed, crouching to grab his robes before he stormed off, only pausing at the door to point his finger at his father.

“Do NOT scare him off, do you hear me, papa? I like him!” And with that, the blonde did as he was told and vanished from sight, leaving Seamus to watch Professor Snape wearily. The dark haired man once more lifted a hand to rub the bridge of his nose before turning to Seamus.

“I’d like to tell you to keep away from my son, but we both know that neither you nor Zephyr would obey such a command,” Snape sighed. “My son has never shown interest in anyone, of either gender, so all I’m going to say is this.”

Snape closed the gap between the two of them, looming over Seamus who stumbled backwards and sat down in the chair once more.

“If you hurt my baby, in any way, shape, or form, I will not hesitate to end you.”

With no other words, Snape turned and stalked out of the classroom, no doubt heading to have a conversation with his son. Seamus felt as though his blood had turned ice cold, and he had no doubt that Snape’s threat was legit.

“Holy shit…”

*****

On the opposite side of things, Harry and Draco found themselves wandering the castle, fingers laced together and hands swinging gently. They had spent two hours at the party, laughing, chatting, and dancing together without a care in the world. It was like being back at Grimmauld Place, getting to know one another on a deeper level and not worrying about prying eyes.

“I think you should spend the night in the Gryffindor dorms tonight,” Harry said quietly. His mask had been pushed up and was resting on the top of his head, letting him view Draco fully. The blonde, with his own mask grasped in his free hand, smiled at the boy walking alongside him.

“We’ll get in trouble if we get caught,” he reminded Harry.

“At this point… It’s worth it,” Harry told him. “And I’ll make it sound greedy by saying I just want a good nights sleep. I’m sick of the nightmares.” Draco chuckled, stepping closer and resting his head against Harry’s shoulder as they walked.

“I understand… I mean, it’s not like we’re a couple. It’s the bond that’s making us act like this.”

“But we’re friends,” Harry said quickly, stopping so abruptly that he caused Draco to stumble. The blonde flushed, gripping Harry’s hand in his own.

“Of course we’re friends,” he assured him. “Best friends, even. I’ve never been this close to someone before… but I’m sure you can’t say the same. I know you and Ron are close, especially after last year. I know that there are probably things that you haven’t told me, and don’t want to tell me, and that’s perfectly fine.”

“I don’t think it’s possible for me to lie to you,” Harry pondered. “I don’t remember Snape saying it was part of the bond, but I’ve never felt the need to withhold anything from you when we’re talking. Especially late at night.”

Draco tugged on his hand, making his way towards the stairs.

“Come on, let’s get to your tower before everyone starts coming back from the party,” he insisted, tugging once again and making Harry follow him.

“Why Draco, you’re so demanding, trying to get me into bed,” Harry teased, loving the way Draco blushed. Eventually he had to take over leading, seeing as Draco had no real idea where Gryffindor tower was, but he didn’t mind. It reminded him of exploring the house over the summer, and finding all the booby traps within.

Harry paused just before they approached the portal, lifting Draco’s mask back to his face.

“Here, put this on. As much as I don’t care that you’re coming in with me, the portraits like to talk.” Draco nodded, reaching behind his head to tie the mask back on, feeling the hair on his arms raise from the sensation of Harry’s fingers against his cheek.

A quick chat with the Fat Lady had the pair slipping into the common room, and Harry didn’t dare pause to greet anyone who might be lingering, gripping Draco’s hand in his own as he forged ahead to the eighth year dorms. Draco couldn’t help but giggle, his robes swirling around him as he hurried after the brunette, excitement rising inside him. The pair all but burst into the sparsely filled dorm, happy to find it empty - Neville, Ron, and Seamus were clearly still out enjoying themselves.

Caught up in the thrill of being discovered, Harry couldn’t stop himself as he pushed Draco’s mask up and off his face and suddenly captured the other boy’s lips with his own. The sensation was almost overwhelming, the two gripping each other’s hands and leaning into the kiss for several more moments before it broke and they rested their foreheads together. Every inch of their bodies sang as though they had experienced untold pleasure, all from a simple kiss.

“Whoa…” Harry breathed, and Draco could only nod in agreement. Who knew that was what happened when two people who were soul bound to one another finally kissed. No wonder kissing Ginny had been trash!

“We should get changed for bed,” the blonde whispered, heart racing. He had no desire to release his hold on Harry but he knew that the other boys would be returning shortly. It was Harry’s turn to nod and they slowly stepped away from one another, taking deep breaths.

“The bathroom is just over there,” Harry told him, pointing towards it. “You can change in there and I’ll change out here.” Draco took two steps towards the bathroom before frowning, and then laughing.

“I don’t have any pajamas!”

Harry actively facepalmed, making Draco laugh even harder, before moving to his trunk and digging out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

“They’re clean,” he promised. “I would offer you proper pajama pants but you’re taller than me.”

“Not by much,” Draco teased, accepting the clothing and heading to the bathroom. It took both of them only a minute or two to change and soon they crawled into bed. It was an all too familiar motion for them, Draco taking the ‘little spoon’ position as Harry snuggled close against his back, resting his arm over Draco’s hip while the other acted as a pillow beneath his head.

“Probably should have pulled the curtains,” Harry sighed, though he made no effort to move. His and Draco’s wand sat on the bedside table, just out of reach.

“Mmm… I’m much too comfortable to move…” Draco agreed, closing his eyes and relaxing into the embrace he had been without for two solid months.

*****

“I think I’m in love,” Seamus declared as he, Ron, and Neville entered the dorm. Neville looked happy for him, and interested in asking questions, but Ron simply scoffed.

“After one date?”

“It was the best date ever!”

“You came back to the party without him, mate,” Ron laughed. “Looking white as a sheet, I might add. How can that be considered the best date ever?”

“We were snogging,” Seamus began, making both Ron and Neville chuckle at him. “The best snogging I have ever been privy to. His hips are so tiny, and his arse--”

“Oi!” Harry called from his bed where he and Draco were snuggled tightly together. “One: Some of us are trying to sleep. And two: No one needs to know about your new boyfriend’s arse.”

Silence filled the room as the three realized that Harry wasn’t alone, though Ron rolled his eyes.

“I wondered how long it would take the two of you to start this up again,” he said, waving a hand towards the pair. “Does the Headmistress know he’s up here?”

“Not yet,” Harry admitted. “But we’ll go talk to her tomorrow, if you’re so worried. I’m sure Snape has already informed her of our little… situation.”

“Situation?” Neville frowned, but Ron shook his head.

“No, we’re not talking about Harry and Draco right now,” he said, turning and pointing at Seamus. “I still want to know what had him coming back to the Great Hall looking like he had seen something very, very bad.”

“Snape busted us snogging,” Seamus sighed, rubbing at his cheek with the back of one of his hands.

“That’s all?” Ron laughed.

“Zephyr is Snape’s son,” Draco filled in the blanks, snickering from his lazy position. You could almost hear everyone’s eyes widening as they stared at Seamus.

“Snape has kids?” Ron all but squawked, looking somewhat horrified.

“He has two, and a husband,” Seamus finished, finally taking the time to strip off his robes and begin to change into his pajamas.

“Yes, yes, he’s married,” Harry interrupted before Ron could continue to squeal and babble, not wanting to draw out the noise.

“Severus is married to a Mister Maximus Maxwell,” Draco sighed. “He has two children, a pair of twins, Avalon and Zephyr. Avalon is in Slytherin and Zephyr is a Hufflepuff, and they certainly take after each parent - Avalon is a lot like her Potions Master father, even if she looks nothing like him, and Zephyr is kind and soft hearted, like Max is.”

“Not all of him is soft…” Seamus muttered, a perverted grin crossing his lips as he thought back on their time in the classroom before being interrupted.

“You all are much too loud for what time it is,” Harry sighed. “Can we please talk about this after the sun rises, not before?”

The trio admitted they had indeed been much too loud and quickly changed into their pajamas before crawling into bed. The lights had been doused and everything was quiet for several minutes, long enough for Harry to nearly fall back asleep before…

“Wait, what is Draco doing in your bed, Harry?”

The brunette groaned, hiding his face against the back of Draco’s head, quietly inhaling the coconut scent of Draco’s shampoo - Harry’s favorite.

“It’s a long story,” he sighed. “Also something for tomorrow, not for right now.” If Draco was going to be permanently moved into Gryffindor tower, or if they were going to be placed in a bedroom together somewhere in the castle, it was probably time to come clean to his friends. Just… after they all got some sleep.

Draco’s hand nudged against his, moving under it and once more they laced their fingers together, making Harry smile. This was what he needed. He had missed it.


	4. Chapter 4

“So… that’s pretty much what’s happened,” Harry sighed, sitting cross legged on his bed the following morning, Draco still sleeping behind him, curled into an impressive ball for someone so tall. Harry found himself resting a hand on Draco’s ankle, maintaining some sort of contact despite already being so close to the blonde.

“I’ve never heard of soul binding,” Seamus frowned some. “Is it really legit?”

“Trust me, I didn’t believe in it either, but Harry’s become a whole different person since he’s gotten close with Draco,” Ron yawned, still in the process of waking up.

“I bet my gran has heard of it,” Neville nodded some, more to himself than anything. “And I bet if we ask Hermione about it, she’ll have even more answers for us.”

“Snape explained it the best he could, even if part of me wishes he had done it BEFORE we had agreed to it... I mean, everything went sideways real fast after that and neither of us saw one another for a long time. It felt like torture… I thought I was sick, to be honest. And then I thought it was the Horcruxes affecting me. I didn’t understand why the migraines and anger and… everything didn’t go away after Voldemort fell. That really only added to the frustration.” Harry sighed, absently rubbing his thumb against Draco’s ankle, glancing at the boy he was forever bound to.

“When Draco showed up at the house, everything started to change. Snape told us about soul binding, and how it only works if there are already feelings between the two being bound. He obviously saw something between the two of us and that’s why he suggested it. I just… felt compelled to save Draco.”

Neville smiled, always a sucker for romantic stories.

“So are you two a couple, then?” Seamus asked, motioning to where Harry was stroking Draco’s ankle.

“It sounds like we’re going to be, eventually,” Harry admitted. “We haven’t really figured it out, to be honest, but just being close to one another makes things so much easier. When we’re apart, things feel hazy, or numb, and if we don’t see each other for days on end, the headaches begin.”

“What about the nightmares?”

“That’s not part of the bond,” Harry admitted. “I’ve been having nightmares for years, and they’ve continued, even since the war ended.”

“PTSD,” Seamus shrugged. “Totally normal response to traumatic events.” When the other boys simply blinked at him in confusion, the Irish boy sighed.

“Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,” he explained. “It’s common in soldiers and people who have been part of horrible experiences, like death, war, rape, and more. It’s a Muggle term, so I shouldn’t be surprised none of you know about it. Though, I suppose I expected Harry to know, being Muggle raised.”

“I haven’t really gotten a Muggle education since I was ten,” the brunette told them. “It’s not like the Dursley’s had any desire to educate me, and ten year olds don’t learn about this PTSD thing.”

“You two were absolutely silent last night,” Neville commented. “Is that because you got to sleep together? And I mean literally sleep.” Harry nodded, smiling softly.

“From what I’ve gathered, thanks to information from Snape and his husband, things ease up once the two who are soul bound finally have sex and fully commit to one another. Draco and I… we’re just not there yet. Soul bond or not, we’re still getting to know one another.”

“I’ll ask Hermione about it later today,” Neville decided. “It never hurts to have more education, especially when it comes to ancient magic that’s effecting people I care about.”

“We should all go to breakfast,” Seamus pushed himself up, already changed out of his pajamas and wearing comfortable, weekend clothes.

“You just want to see Zephyr,” Ron teased, taking the conversation in a completely different direction. Harry laughed and watched his friends head off, opting to stay in the dorm and wait for Draco to wake up.

When he had dozed off, he didn’t know, but suddenly he was aware that he was alone in the bed. Sitting up and rubbing his eyes, Harry could hear the shower running and smiled, making his way to the bathroom.

“How are you feeling this morning?” he asked, coming to stand beside the shower stall Draco was occupying. When the blonde didn’t answer him, he became worried, deciding to gently pull back the curtain and check on his friend.

“Down here,” Draco said quietly, causing Harry to lower his gaze to where Draco sat on the floor of the shower, knees pulled up against his chest. Harry squatted outside the shower, frowning.

“What’s going on, Draco? Are you sick?”

“I just don’t feel well, that’s all,” the blonde replied, hugging his knees a little tighter. Harry went to reach in and touch Draco’s shoulder but stopped when he remembered the blonde was sitting under the shower spray. Not bothering to ask permission, the brunette stood and wiggled out of his clothing, leaving just his boxers on before he stepped into the stall, pulling the curtain for privacy.

“Budge up a bit, let me sit behind you,” he urged the blonde, though he half expected Draco to banish Harry from the shower. Draco looked at him for several moments before sighing and scooting forward like he had been asked, creating a space for Harry to sit against the wall. With a little maneuvering, Harry rested his bare back against the tiles and placed his hands gently on Draco’s shoulders.

“Alright, scoot back…”

Draco complied once more, finding himself between Harry’s knees and his back pressing back against Harry’s bare chest. He wouldn’t admit out loud that he immediately felt a bit better as Harry’s arms curled around him, holding him gently, though his nudity was causing him to keep his knees pressed together. Who knew you could be so shy at eighteen.

Harry wanted to get Draco to talk to him so he could try and solve his problems, but he could tell that the blonde wasn’t in the mood to talk. He hoped that holding him would help, feeling Draco relax back into his arms and let his head fall back against Harry’s shoulder.

The silence gave Harry more time to think than he really wanted, and he found that he wasn’t able to stop himself from worrying that he had done something wrong. Was it because he had told Ron, Neville, and Seamus about their soul bond? He didn’t think it was supposed to be a secret, not from people they trusted.

“Your heart rate picked up,” Draco commented, not lifting his head from its relaxed position. “What are you thinking about? Sex?”

“What? No!” Harry was almost horrified. Granted, he HAD been thinking about Draco in such a fashion for several months now, but he knew how to respect boundaries!

“I wouldn’t blame you, you know,” the blonde smiled, rubbing his fingers against Harry’s. “I do happen to be naked in your arms right now.”

“I’m worried I said something wrong and upset you…”

“No. Oh Harry, no.” Draco sat up and turned himself around so he was facing the other boy, kneeling between Harry’s legs. There was no time for Harry to register Draco’s full frontal nudity as the blonde was quick to hug Harry against his chest, sliding his hands through shaggy dark hair.

“I got a letter this morning, while you were sleeping, and I just…” Draco’s hold tightened and he drew in a long, somewhat shaky breath.

“My father killed himself last night… In Azkaban...”

It was Harry’s turn to wrap his arms around Draco, though it took some shuffling for the two of them to be comfortable. In the end, Harry straightened his legs and Draco straddled his hips, holding their bodies close together. He pressed his forehead against Harry’s, silver eyes full of unreleased sadness. He felt Harry reach up to stroke his hair, allowing his body to sag against the other boy, hiding his face against Harry’s neck.

“I’m so sorry, Draco…” Harry whispered, one hand on the back of his head, the other rubbing gentle circles on his back in an attempt to comfort him. Maybe this was what Draco had been waiting for, why he hadn’t been able to let go until Harry was holding him, but as they sat together under the forever warm spray of the shower, Draco allowed himself to sob. His mother had died during the final battle and while his father had been locked away and hadn’t wanted any contact with his son since the soul bond, it still hurt Draco deeply to know that he was now the last of the Malfoy line.

Neither would attend breakfast that day, spending over an hour together in the shower before Harry urged Draco to stand and get out. The blonde allowed Harry to move him, to dry him off, and to dress him once more in a pair of borrowed shorts and another baggy t-shirt. He stumbled a little as Harry lead him back to the dorm, enough that Harry curled his arm around his waist and held him close.

“I’m going to tuck you into my bed and then I’m going to go downstairs and talk with the Headmistress,” Harry told him, speaking softly and brushing Draco’s hair away from his face as he lay his head down on the pillow. Draco managed a tired smile, wanting to ask Harry to stay with him, not wanting to be alone once more, but he knew talking to the Headmistress needed to happen.

“I’ll come back with something to eat,” Harry assured him, leaning down to press a soft kiss to Draco’s forehead before he quickly dressed himself - sweatpants and a Weasley sweater - and left the dorm.

*****

Headmistress McGonagall observed the dark haired boy sitting in front of her before glancing at Professor Snape, the older male standing off to one side. He had been brought into the meeting when Harry had found it hard to explain about the soul bond and how it was causing problems for himself and Draco. Snape had done a much better job of explaining, and vouched for the well being of his godson.

“You don’t think this will cause problems?” the Headmistress asked. “Letting these two share a bed?”

“They’re hardly in a private room,” Snape shrugged. “They have to share the dorm with three other boys who no doubt have no desire to see the two of them snogging. I don’t think we’re encouraging anything other than mental health, especially considering the headlines in the news this morning.”

“Yes, that was quite unexpected,” the woman admitted. “How is he taking it?” Her question was directed toward Snape but Harry was the one to answer.

“Not well. We had honestly planned to speak to you together, but it took me an hour to pry him out of the shower. He had no desire to come down for breakfast and looked exhausted when I put him back to bed. I didn’t want to leave him alone, but I didn’t think making him spend any more time away from me was a good plan.” Harry found himself leaning forward in his seat ever so slightly as he spoke, feeling his heart ache for the pain his friend was going through. It was like seeing Draco in the bathroom in sixth year all over again.

“They aren’t sexually active,” Snape informed McGonagall, glancing at Harry for only a moment. “They aren’t a couple. They’re just two boys who are soul bound together and need to be in close proximity in order to function comfortably. With Draco’s sudden depression… I highly recommend you allow him to remain in Gryffindor tower with Potter.”

“And what of the other students?” McGonagall asked, directing her question to Harry. “How do you think they’ll feel about sharing a room with Mr. Malfoy?”

“They didn’t have any issue with it last night,” Harry answered honestly. “And when they asked about it this morning, there was no anger, just curiosity.”

“Students will have questions,” the Headmistress continued. “Everyone will want to know why the two of you have permission to room together and no one else does.”

“Ancient magic,” Snape motioned to Harry. “They don’t need to know all the details, but we can tell them that they’ve been affected by ancient magic and this is how we deal with it. If Draco or Mr. Potter want people to know the specifics, they will tell them.” Harry found himself incredibly grateful to have Snape speaking on his behalf, knowing he would have never been articulate enough to come up with a plan.

“I believe you are correct, Professor,” McGonagall agreed. “I trust you, Mr. Potter, and Mr. Malfoy to keep things professional and under control.”

“Yes, Headmistress, of course,” Harry assured her, only rising to his feet when he was dismissed from the meeting. His eyes met Snape’s and they shared a nod before Harry hurried out of the office in search of his dorm mates.

It wasn’t hard to find his friends - it was winter and people tended to stay indoors to avoid the cold and snow. Harry gathered up all three and found a quiet corner in the Great Hall for them all to sit down.

“Everything okay, Harry?” Neville asked, frowning.

“I wanted to tell all of you, before McGonagall makes an announcement. Draco is going to be moving into our dorm permanently. There’s been an… incident…”

“We saw the paper,” Seamus nodded, his face grim. “When you and Draco didn’t come down for breakfast, we figured there was probably some emotional shit going on.”

“That’s why we didn’t come back up,” Neville sighed softly. “We wanted to, because we have that awesome lounge area we built, but we thought it was best to give you two some space. What Draco is going through… it’s incredibly hard.”

“I really appreciate the understanding,” Harry smiled, though it was weak. “I’m going to get something to eat from the kitchens and then head back up. If it’s not too much trouble, could you stay away until after dinner?”

“No problem, mate,” Ron grinned, reaching over to pat Harry’s shoulder. Harry was truly thankful to have friends like this, offering out those thanks once more before he hurried off to complete his tasks for the day.

The house elves were more than happy to bring food up to the dorm, especially after Harry explained that Draco was unwell, and he once more offered his heartful thanks.

When he arrived back in the dorm he found his bed empty, but it wasn’t hard to spot Draco curled up on the couch, looking out the window. A steaming cup of tea was sitting on the small table beside the couch, untouched for the moment, but Harry was sure he could convince Draco to eat and drink.

“I thought you might still be sleeping,” he spoke softly, moving across the room towards the blonde.

“I couldn’t sleep,” was the response, Draco turning to look at Harry, bundled in Harry’s favorite handmade blanket. He looked adorable, Harry would admit only to himself, and only silently, and he couldn’t stop himself from wrapping his arms around Draco.

“The house elves are bringing up food, and I see they already brought you tea,” he smiled. “I asked everyone else to stay away for the day, so you can get some rest and take the time you need.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” Draco tried to protest but Harry simply shook his head, moving to sit on the couch and properly hold Draco in his arms.

“They had no problem with it, don’t worry. I also got permission to move you here, permanently.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Snape vouched for us, though, he also told McGonagall that we aren’t having sex,” Harry winkled his nose. “I mean, we aren’t, we’ve only kissed once, but still, I wasn’t expecting him to put that out there.” Draco smiled, even if it was a tired smile, resting his head against Harry’s shoulder.

“I’m not going to tell you that I know what you’re going through,” Harry continued. “Or that everything is going to be okay, because I hated when people told me that garbage, because it wasn’t true. But I’m going to be here for you, as much or as little as you need me, and I know the others will be here as well.”

“I know,” Draco nodded against his shoulder. “Thank you…”

While Harry was able to coax Draco to drink some tea, and eat a few cookies, he wasn’t able to convince him to eat anything more. At least he was staying hydrated, and that was what mattered. Harry knew all too well what depression was like, and the forms it could take. He knew what it was like to withdraw from those around you, to find no pleasure in eating or drinking and only doing so because you felt forced, or obligated. He also knew that having support and understanding from those close to you made a lot of difference when it came to getting better, and that was what he was going to do.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Below there be anal and rimming and felching and oral sex. Enjoy!

As the school year progressed and the holidays loomed, things seemed to all fall into place in the eighth year Gryffindor dorm. Draco was quiet and somewhat withdrawn, but that didn’t matter to any of the boys. They had no problem shuttling the blonde from class to class, if Harry wasn’t available, and they even took steps to try and encourage him to eat.

Weekends were the time you would find Draco curled up in the shower, letting the water run over him. It was soothing, and more often than not Harry would join him, holding the blonde close to him and simply sitting in silence. While the others attended Hogsmeade, the ‘couple’ would spend time alone together. More often than not, if not in the shower, Draco would stare out the window and Harry would do his homework.

In Hogsmeade, Seamus held hands with Zephyr as they wandered through the shops. The blonde seemed to fit in quite well with the rest of the group, Ron and Neville not hesitating to include him in their adventures. Of course, they had also become used to losing the pair and then finding them pressed together in an alley, snogging heavily.

“You know,” Ron mused, stroking his chin. “Now that the twins have a portal in Hogsmeade that allows people to access the WWW… you might be able to ask them if they could spare you two a closet or something.”

“What? Why?” Seamus looked confused but Zephyr giggled, wagging his eyebrows at the boy he was holding hands with.

“To snog without getting busted for public indecency,” he told Seamus, wiggling his hips. “You have a wonderful habit of grabbing my ass, after all.” His words made Seamus blush brightly which, in turn, made Ron and Neville laugh.

“I’m absolutely down for it,” Zephyr continued, biting his bottom lip and glancing at Seamus with a sweet smile.

Ron lead the way to the Weasley twins’ new Hogsmeade entrance - it was a wonderful feat of magic, giving the shop access in both Hogsmeade and in Diagon Alley, doubling their customer base. Of course, you just had to make sure you left through the right door or else you would find yourself stepping out into the wrong location.

“Oi, Fred!” Ron’s voice carried through the shop, loud enough to be heard over the mass of students. His brother looked up from where he was restocking the love potion display, smiling at the sight of his younger sibling. Waving his wand and having the rest of the potions put themselves away, Fred made his way over to the group, his gaze falling on the blonde holding onto Seamus’ arm.

“Made a new friend, did we?” he asked with a grin.

“They wanna borrow a closet,” Ron said with a smirk. Neville found no reason to stick around for the remainder of the conversation, moving off to find his way to the local sweets shop. While Seamus blushed about the situation, Zephyr seemed absolutely thrilled by the prospect of getting real alone time with Seamus. Since Halloween, the two had been sneaking into empty classrooms to snog, heavily, and while it was exciting and usually ended with messy pants, the chance of being caught again was always looming. While Seamus was technically already graduated, Zephyr was not, and the blonde had plans in life that required him to finish school.

“Well, we don’t have any empty closets,” Fred pondered this, though he motioned upwards with his finger. “But our flat is above the shop. I suppose we could let you use the couch, provided you clean it before you leave.”

“Yes, please!” Zephyr’s eyes seemed to light up and he bounced on his toes, making Fred chuckle.

“Eager. I like it. Any chance we could get another one of you?” Ron groaned, officially bailing from the conversation, muttering about not wanting to be privy to his brothers’ sexual escapades.

“Only a sister, and she likes girls,” Zephyr grinned. Fred flicked his wand toward the ceiling once more, mumbling a spell.

“I’ve altered the wards to allow you two access to the flat. Like I said, as long as you clean up afterwards, and certainly don’t tell anyone else about it, we shouldn’t have any issues.” Zephyr thanked the redhead multiple times before essentially dragging Seamus behind the cash register and up into the flat.

“You… are really eager…” Seamus mumbled, suddenly feeling overwhelmed and a little out of his element. Sure, snogging and grinding against one another was one thing, but Zephyr’s excitement lead him to believe that they were going to be doing much more… and that was something he had never done before.

“Is… is that wrong?” Zephyr paused, worried he was not on the same train of thought that Seamus was. He knew that Seamus had never been with a boy before, and his experiences with Zephyr were all firsts, but now the blonde wondered if he was suddenly taking things too far, too soon.

“No!” Seamus blushed at his sudden outburst. “It’s just that I’ve never had sex with a guy before… I really don’t know what I’m doing.” Zephyr smiled and stepped closer, wrapping his arms around Seamus’ neck and lifting ever so slightly onto his toes to kiss the other boy.

“I’m more than happy to teach you,” he spoke softly.

“But… I’m the guy?”

“What?”

“I thought I was the guy in this relationship,” Seamus continued, suddenly horrified that he may have said something very wrong. “I mean, you wear skirts sometimes, and I’m older…” Yes, just keep digging your hole, Seamus. You live here now.

“You really don’t have a clue how same sex relationships work, do you?” Zephyr, thankfully, didn’t seem too upset by the other boy’s words, making no effort to pull away.

“I guess not…”

“I’m going to take good care of you, don’t worry.” Zephyr tried not to leer at the other boy as he guided Seamus to the couch and coaxed him to lay back. He knew Seamus trusted him, even if it was usually Zephyr’s desire to snog that got them in trouble a lot, and he would certainly never do anything to intentionally hurt him.

“Gunna need you to take your pants off,” he instructed, absently biting his bottom lip. He wouldn’t deny that he was excited to finally see Seamus naked (or at least partially) after so many nights grinding against one another.

Seamus nodded slowly, lowering his hands to unzip his pants, bracing one foot on the floor in order to lift his hips.

“Underpants too,” Zephyr quickly added, his body already reacting to the sight in front of him. He reached forward to assist Seamus with removing said pants, taking great pains to slide his hands over the other boy’s thighs. He also made sure to keep a kind, warm smile on his face, nothing too creepy, and definitely not a smirk. Personally, he hated when people smirked, especially during sex, it made him feel more like a toy and less like a proper partner.

As his half hard length was revealed, Seamus automatically attempted to close his legs, though that was quickly hindered by Zephyr sitting between his thighs.

“You don’t need to hide from me,” the blonde soothed, once more gently stroking the soft skin. “I’ve wanted to see all of you since the first night we got together.” He smiled once more as he saw Seamus blush, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his clothed chest. As much as he wanted to take his time and explore Seamus’ body from top to bottom, there wasn’t really all that much time. Soon enough they would have to return to the school - Hogsmeade trips don’t last forever, after all.

He opted to bring out his wand and, speaking clearly so Seamus would hopefully listen and remember for later, he spoke the spells needed to prepare one’s lover for anal sex. Though, despite the time crunch, he absolutely opted to use his fingers for a few moments anyways.

“Next time we’ll do it without the spells,” he promised, licking his lips as he watched Seamus writhe under his touches. He made sure to pump his two fingers in and out at just the right angle, educating Seamus on the wonders of the prostate.

“Holy FUCK!” The brunette’s hips shot upwards at the first touch, making Zephyr beam and gently prod said spot a few more times. Watching Seamus’ length fully harden, resting against his stomach and beginning to leak, made the blonde’s heart sing and he couldn’t stop himself from leaning down and having a taste. Of course, that brought forth a slew of cursed babbling from Seamus as Zephyr’s tongue bathed the underside of his cock before soft lips wrapped around his tip.

Lingering for only a minute or two, Zephyr sat back and licked his lips again, observing the older boy spread out in front of him. As Seamus panted, he watched Zephyr unzip his own pants and draw his length out. Now, Seamus had seen other penis’ in his life, communal showers and all, but those had always been flaccid, or perhaps half hard at most, and seeing Zephyr’s fully aroused, leaking cock was certainly a sight to behold.

“That’s… going inside me…?” His voice was tentative and held hints of worry.

“Oh yes, and it’s going to be glorious,” was the response as the blonde moved himself into a better position, lifting Seamus’ legs so they settled around his hips. He didn’t want to give Seamus too much time to worry about being penetrated, using his wand once more to conjure lube so he could slick his length before he smeared the rest over Seamus’ stretched entrance.

“I’m going to make you cum all over yourself,” Zephyr continued, tucking his hips against Seamus’ firm backside as he began to press inside. The other boy groaned at the intrusion, hips rolling slightly as Zephyr’s blunt tip pushed into his pre-stretched hole. There was always a slight burn from penetration, even when spells were used, but Zephyr knew from experience that the pleasure of being on the bottom quickly overrode any discomfort. And it certainly wasn’t painful.

“Zephyr…” came the moan as the blonde pushed in deeper, filling Seamus to what felt like bursting, even if it was a glorious sort of bursting.

“You look so pretty, taking my cock in your arse,” Zephyr groaned, rolling his hips slowly as he sheathed himself inside the other male. One hand steadied himself on Seamus’ hip while the other curled around his leaking cock and began to stroke. It was slow at first, matching the gentle thrusts as Zephyr plunged himself into Seamus slowly. He was proud of himself for causing the other boy to completely lose the ability to speak, wringing only moans and panting from him.

“That’s it, give in to me,” he continued, leaning over a little more in order to increase his thrusts, pressing as deeply as he could with each long stroke. “It’s so fucking good, isn’t it? Having my cock inside you? Teasing all the right spots?” He didn’t get to top someone very often and like hell was he going to miss out on the dirty talk. More often than not, when he and Seamus were desperately rutting against one another in hidden areas, they would talk dirty to one another, but usually Seamus was the one ‘in charge.’

The brunette was writhing under him, trying to both thrust into Zephyr’s fist while pressing his hips back against the other boy, wanting to feel him deeper inside. Every few thrusts Zephyr would press against his sweet spot, causing Seamus to moan loudly, his aching cock leaking steadily in Zephyr’s hand.

“I’m going to cum inside you,” Zephyr managed to gasp, finding his impending orgasm racing towards him at a somewhat startling speed. Usually he had much more composure than this!

“I want you to cum with me.” Was he begging? He never begged during sex! His hips were starting to jerk as he flicked his thumb over the top of Seamus’ cock, his moans matching those of the boy under him. Seamus cried out, tightening his legs around Zephyr’s hips as he came heavily, slicking the other boy’s hand and making a rather large mess all over his shirt. Seeing him go over the edge sent Zephyr over as well, driving his hips forward firmly as he shot heavily inside the other boy, an impressive load for such a slender male.

“Fuuuuuucking hell,” he groaned, hips jerking from the pleasure, causing him to rub against Seamus’ sweet spot which in turn made Seamus moan.

“Agreed,” Seamus panted, panting and reaching up to draw Zephyr down to him for a kiss. Their similar heights made this quite easy and he felt his stomach jump as their lips connected. Soft and sweet, even if the blonde still had his cock buried inside him, though it was softening. Lasting only a few moments longer, Zephyr sat back up and withdrew from Seamus’ gently stretched hole, immediately trying to stifle a groan at the sight of his seed oozing out of his lover.

“What?” Seamus moved to sit up but Zephyr quickly pinned him back down.

“No, don’t move. Fuck, you look so hot like that,” Zephyr squirmed his hips, apparently trying to decide on something.

“What?”

“You look so fucking hot with my cum leaking out of you,” Zephyr clarified. “That’s going to make such a mess… I should really take care of that for you…” Seamus had assumed that the blonde had meant some sort of cleaning spell, but he certainly wasn’t expecting Zephyr to get off the couch, get down on his knees, yank Seamus’ hips to the edge of the couch (making him twist), and bury his tongue inside his messy hole. The sensation was even more intense than Zephyr’s fingers, even if his tongue couldn’t pummel his sweet spot like those fingers could, and Seamus let out a moan before he could catch himself. Zephyr’s tongue twisted and swirled inside him, making him writhe once more and to his surprise he found himself growing aroused once more. He moved to grip his cock, stroking quickly as his back arched and his head fell back against the couch.

“Mmm… you taste so fucking good,” Zephyr told him, lifting his head to watch Seamus stroke himself for a moment before he pushed the boy’s hand away and took him into his mouth once more.

“You have a really dirty mouth,” Seamus gasped, thrusting his hips upwards as Zephyr bobbed his head, tongue tasting every inch of the cock in his mouth. He meant it both figuratively and literally, he realized, considering both the words coming out of the blonde’s mouth, and the cock filling it.

It only took Zephyr a minute to drag yet another orgasm from Seamus, pulling his head back just enough to catch several spurts of thick cum on his tongue. He waited for Seamus to open his eyes and look at him before swallowing audibly, making Seamus groan.

“Tease,” he muttered, reaching out to thumb a dribble of seed off of Zephyr’s bottom lip. The boy licked at his thumb with a wink before moving to his feet, fixing his pants.

“I really do hate to rush this, but we need to start heading back soon.” Zephyr pouted as he said this, eyes scanning over the mess Seamus had made on his stomach. He was proud to have caused such a mess and it was a shame not to clean it with his tongue, something he silently mourned as he lifted his wand and cleaned Seamus up.

“I prefer to cuddle after sex,” he admitted, seeming to revert into his much more ‘sweet and innocent’ persona. Seamus nodded, standing on shaky legs and reaching for his pants and underwear. He would also have liked there to be some time to recover, but he had no doubt Ron and the others were probably looking for them.

The twins gave them a not-so-subtle thumbs up as they left the flat, making Zephyr grin and Seamus flush, and soon the pair were meeting up with their friends and returning to the school. Zephyr laced their fingers together as they walked, listening to Neville talk about the sweets shop or how Ron had stopped a fight between a couple of Gryffindor’s and Slytherin’s.

Seamus walked the blonde to his common room portal, the two sharing a quick hug and a kiss - no doubt Professor Snape was lingering somewhere, ‘checking on’ his son. Zephyr paused for a split second to whisper in Seamus’ ear.

“I can’t wait to suck you off again… You’ll no doubt learn that I’m a lot more sexual than people think.”

And with that, he bounded off into his common room, leaving Seamus blushing madly.


	6. Chapter 6

Another day, another shower, though this time Harry was prepared. They were set to return home for christmas the next day and Harry knew that while this wasn’t the first christmas Draco would be spending away from Malfoy Manor, it would be the first christmas without his parents. This meant the blonde was even more depressed than usual and had immediately sought out his comfort zone - the shower.

Luckily there were two shower stalls available so he wasn’t hogging the space, but he did choose to darken the stall and sit curled up in a corner, the water spraying on his knees, in near-complete darkness.

“Draco?” Harry settled on the outside of the stall, sitting in just his boxers seeing as it was early morning and he had been planning on a shower himself.

“Yeah…”

“How long have you been in here?”

“Maybe a half hour or so…”

“Do you want me to join you?” It was something that he offered every time the blonde took up residence in the shower, sometimes Draco said yes, sometimes he said no, but either way Harry would at least be near him for as long as he possibly could.

“If you want…” Draco hadn’t said yes in over two weeks, but with the holidays looming and reminding him of everything he had lost, he felt the need to be close to his… whatever Harry was. He listened as the brunette picked himself up off the floor and no doubt arranged a few towels on the bar outside the shower before gently pulling back the curtain. Until now, Harry always wore his boxers into the shower, keeping some form of modesty even though Draco had always been naked, but this time he was sans-boxers.

“O-oh,” Draco almost squeaked, his eyes going wide as he took in the sight of the other boys body before he realized he was nearly head-height for Harry’s groin, looking away.

“I, uh, hope you don’t mind” Harry said quickly, waiting for Draco to scoot forward so he could sit behind him and hold him, as was their standard seating arrangement in this sort of situation.

“No… I just wasn’t expecting it…” Draco bit his lip as Harry arranged himself, moving himself back against the smaller male and settling once again between Harry’s spread knees. Only this time instead of cloth, he was greeted with the sensation of Harry’s flaccid length settling against the small of his back. Both made a small noise at the contact, and both blushed as Harry wrapped his arms around the blonde. As usual, one arm curled somewhat around Draco’s slender chest while the other curled around his equally slender waist, holding him lovingly.

“Are we staying here for christmas?” Harry asked, resting his chin on Draco’s shoulder and finding himself turning his nose towards the space behind Draco’s ear, the scent of coconut and mint filling his senses. Whoever suggested this shampoo and body wash to Draco needed to be given an award, Harry loved the scent.

“You have a home to go to,” Draco muttered, though he knew his hurt and anger wasn’t Harry’s fault. Well, there was the whole soul bonding incident, but still.

“My home is your home, honestly,” Harry shrugged, stroking his thumb over Draco’s smooth stomach. His mind wandered as he wondered what that pale little stomach would look like with a naval piercing, though his thoughts quickly went hunting for other places Draco could get pierced and he found himself regretting things.

“...I can feel that, Potter,” the blonde muttered, though a smile threatened to curl the sides of his lips. “Care to share with the class?” Harry groaned, hiding his face against the side of Draco’s neck, the action making the blonde squirm which really wasn’t helping the situation.

“We were having a serious conversation,” he whined. “I’m really sorry, I got distracted.”

“That’s easy to do,” Draco grinned. “We can come back to the depressing talk after you tell me what’s gotten you all twitchy against my back. You haven’t even annoyed me with morning wood all these months, and I suppose we’re never naked in bed together, but I’m sure I would notice if you were sporting a boner while we spooned.” Harry groaned again.

“I just… like your stomach, that’s all,” he quietly admitted. “And I was wondering what it would look like with a piercing. I’ve never seen a belly button piercing on a boy, but I couldn’t help but wonder what it would look like on you. Then I started thinking about other piercings, and that turned into hidden piercings, and I just…”

“Got distracted,” Draco nodded, smiling fully now. He made no effort to move away from Harry, or to turn and face him, though he would admit that he liked feeling Harry’s nose pressed against his neck. The brunette had a thing for the space right behind his ear, it seemed, and it was almost calming to feel Harry’s breath against the sensitive skin.

“I don’t think I’ve seen a boy with any sort of piercing,” he admitted, trying to think back. Piercings were really only seen on girls, and he had only seen them with ear piercings, but he also had never seen a naked female before.

“Some Muggle boys get an ear pierced,” Harry explained. “Body piercings are usually more female based, or… homosexual… but I know that sort of thinking is changing as well.”

“And Muggle men pierce their penis?”

“Well, some do, it’s not super common… and there’s different spots on the penis, and different types of piercings…” Harry was quickly realizing that he had a lot more knowledge of such things than Draco probably expected.

“How do you know these things?” Draco absolutely was reading his mind, Harry swore it.

“Muggle porn,” he admitted quietly.

“Porn?”

“You’ve never heard of porn?”

“I’m a Pureblood, Potter, of course not.” Even after all they had been through since sixth year, the ‘original’ Draco Malfoy sometimes reared his head, usually when he was teasing.

“Care to enlighten me?”

“I’d rather not explain it while I’m naked in a shower with you,” Harry grumbled.

“Show me when we go back to Grimmauld Place?” That made Harry lift his head, leaning slightly to the side so he could get a better look at Draco’s face.

“You want to spend christmas with me and Sirius?” he asked, somewhat surprised. Sure, they had spent summer together, and had obviously became closer now that they were sharing a bed consistently while at school, but neither had really spoken about life outside of Hogwarts.

“Well, I could always spend the holidays with Severus and Max and the twins, though I’m not sure if I could handle being around Zephyr for two whole weeks. His sister is pretty moody and keeps to herself, but he’s very… friendly.”

“Especially with Seamus,” Harry quipped, making both of them chuckle.

“And I do appreciate everything Severus has done for me,” Draco continued, his hands finding Harry’s and lacing their fingers together. “But lately I’ve found myself wanting to spend more time with you. I mean, we spend plenty of time together, but with NEWTS and everything, our only quiet time is when we’re both in bed. That doesn’t really leave us a lot of deep conversation time.”

“I really do like getting to know you more and more,” Harry agreed. “I’m sure Sirius won’t mind if you come home with me. Though we’ll probably also wind up at the Burrow at some point in time. I’m partially a Weasley, after all.” Draco sighed somewhat heavily, leaning his head back against Harry’s shoulder.

“Do you think I’d be allowed there as well?”

“Well, I don’t see why you wouldn’t, but if they turn you away, I’ll leave with you. But Ron and Ginny have no problem with you, and that should count for something.”

“I hate to interrupt the two of you,” Ron’s voice filtered into the bathroom as he knocked on the door. “But we’re all awake and would like to make use of the facilities. You’re welcome to stay in the shower, but we wanted to warn you that we’re coming in.”

“Sorry, we’re just getting out,” Harry chuckled. The group had become accustomed to the shower conversations and, purely out of the kindness of their hearts, often warned the pair (or even when it was just Draco) of their presence, just in case private things were being said.

Harry gently nudged Draco forward so they could both stand, stretching his arms over his head. He couldn’t help but let his eyes drift over Draco’s body - even from behind, the blonde was absolutely stunning to him.

“I’m already fresh and clean,” Draco declared, turning to face Harry with a grin. “You might as well wash up since you’re already in here and soaking wet.” The two observed one another for several moments, blushing as they took in each others nudity, not to mention Harry’s still half hard length, before Draco leaned forward and kissed Harry’s cheek on the way out of the shower.

“Thanks for the towel!” he called, happily wrapping himself in the large green (complete with Slytherin crest) towel and striding to the dry section of the bathroom where his clothes were located. Harry found himself smiling as he did as he was told and showered properly.

“So… what were you two talking about?” Ron was brushing his teeth and leaning against Harry’s shower wall. “Dirty things?” He had waited patiently while Draco had gotten dressed and when he was sure the blonde was out of earshot, the questions began.

“Wanker,” Harry laughed. “We talked about christmas, and how Draco is going to come to Grimmauld Place with me.”

“Obviously,” Ron rolled his eyes, not that his friend could see it, and moved back to the sink to rinse and spit.

“Just because it seems obvious to you doesn’t mean it’s obvious,” Harry argued. “Being soul bound doesn’t make us joined at the hip, and it certainly doesn’t make us a couple.”

“You’re totally a couple, Harry.”

“We’re still figuring things out!” Ron laughed at his friend’s agitation, putting his toothbrush away.

“You’re going to be together forever, mate. Why not just shag and get it over with?”

“Relationships are more than sex, RONALD.” Harry turned the water off and whipped the curtain open with such ferocity that Ron jumped in surprise, though the redhead quickly slapped a hand over his eyes.

“Dude! Nudity much! Cover that shit!”

“Maybe you deserve it, you bloody git,” the brunette all but hissed, grabbing his towel and wrapping it around his waist before grabbing the boxers he had left on the floor and storming out of the bathroom.

*****

Riding home on the train was a combination of exciting (first christmas since the war!), nerve wracking (first christmas since the war…), and awkward - Seamus was mourning the fact that Zephyr wasn’t using the train to return home. After all, his father had portkey access in his private office which allowed him to return home to his family each night. Why wouldn’t Zephyr use it as well.

“It’s just two weeks, mate,” Ron groaned, using his foot to poke at Seamus’ shin. “It’s not like he’s gone forever.”

“It already FEELS like forever!”

“And you call me dramatic,” Draco snickered, sitting nearly sideways on his seat and leaning against Harry’s side as he read a magazine about potions.

“I swear I’m in love,” Seamus proclaimed, even if the others simply laughed at him. He had been saying the same thing since his first date with Zephyr and as far as they all knew, Zephyr hadn’t made any comments regarding them being anything more than snogging buddies.

“Are you sure you want to be in love with someone who has Snape as a parent?” Neville winced, finding himself squirming uncomfortably at just the thought. “If you two get married you’ll see Snape at every holiday!”

“Zephyr is worth every agonizing moment,” Seamus nodded firmly.

“Are you only saying that because you two finally had sex?” Draco asked, not looking up from his magazine. “I mean, do you two do anything other than rut against one another like a pair of sweaty teenagers?”

“We talk!”

“About something other than sex?”

“Well, sometimes, yeah. I mean, we eat together thanks to Neville’s whole ‘anti-inter-house-hatred’ project, and we hang out on the weekends,” Seamus said, crossing his arms over his chest as he became a bit uncomfortable with the conversation.

“Does he know that you’re more than just fuck buddies?” Maybe it was the impending holiday, or maybe it was because Draco was finally starting to feel at ease around the Gryffindor tribe, but he was being quite blunt.

“Draco,” Harry tried to shush him but the blonde would have none of it.

“No, I’m not going to ‘be nice’,” he informed the brunette. “I’m not going to let him keep lying to himself, especially if it turns out Zephyr doesn’t feel the same way. Unreturned feelings never turn out well and it’s best if he figures things out BEFORE he falls hopelessly in love. Though that might already be a problem.”

“Speaking from experience, are we?” Ron peered over at the blonde, surprised he was talking so freely.

“No,” Draco shrugged. “But I’ve seen it, a LOT, and I’ve been the friend who has to comfort someone who has had their heart broken.”

“I choose to believe that we’re in love,” Seamus muttered. “I’ll owl him after christmas, so I don’t completely ruin the season.”

The group lapsed into silence as the train continued to King’s Cross and soon enough they were parting ways, heading off with their families. Harry found himself gripping Draco’s hand almost too tightly as though he was worried he would lose track of the blonde in the holiday crowd. After assuring Mrs. Weasley that he would be arriving at the Burrow on the afternoon of christmas day, he cautiously asked the woman, who was more or less his surrogate mother, if Draco was allowed to attend as well.

“Of course, dear!” Molly beamed, smiling at the blonde who stood a few steps away from Harry, looking somewhat nervous. “Everyone is welcome, but especially you and your boyfriend. I’d never ask you to leave him at home.”

“Boyfriend?” Harry blinked, wondering where she had heard such things. Ron smiled sheepishly.

“Ron wrote and told me all about how you and Draco are dating now,” the older woman continued to smile. “I think it’s utterly adorable and quite wonderful. I’m happy for the two of you.” Harry forced himself to smile - Ron had only been trying to help and he knew this, and saying they were dating was no doubt easier to explain than the soul bond, but neither he nor Draco were using the word ‘boyfriend’ or ‘dating.’

“We’ll see you on christmas day, then,” he forced out, hugging the woman gently before Molly hustled her family off. Harry turned to face Draco, surprised when he saw the blonde trying to hold back his laughter.

“The look on your face!” Draco grinned. “I was worried for a moment, family name and all, but when she started going on about how cute we were… I lost it.”

“You aren’t mad?”

“Why would I be mad? I know things are… complicated… between us,” Draco shrugged, still smiling. “If this means that no one is going to look twice at us when we crawl into bed together, it’s all good with me.” He made his way over to Harry, taking his hand and lacing their fingers together.

“Do you want to apparate to Grimmauld Place or should we find an open floo system? I bet the twins have one.”

“I feel confident enough to apparate,” Draco nodded. “I trust you to also take care of me if I splinch myself.” Harry frowned, squeezing his hand.

“You’ll be fine,” he assured him. “You’ve never had any problems before, right?”

They held hands until they were off the platform and had found somewhere private where Muggles wouldn’t take notice of them suddenly vanishing from sight. Harry went first, wanting to be ready for Draco’s arrival just in case there were any complications.

Sirius was waiting outside on the front steps when he arrived, waving a hand. Remus was also sitting with him, the older man smiling and waving as well. A perk of having magical wards around the house meant that there was no sign of winter once you stepped through them and you were able to be outside without freezing to death.

“No Draco?”

“He should be along shortly. He was a tad nervous about apparating,” Harry chuckled, moving towards the front steps. Sure enough, Draco arrived less than thirty seconds later, though he looked a little green.

“Are you injured?” Harry asked quickly, moving to approach the blonde but Draco quickly waved him away. He didn’t have time to explain before he hunched over, vomiting on the grass. Turns out, he wasn’t a fan of apparating.

“Oh, Draco…” Remus sighed, standing and summoning a bottle of water before he approached the younger male and offered it out. “Rinse and spit.” Draco gratefully accepted the bottle, and also didn’t complain when Harry gently curled an arm around his waist to keep him steady.

“Next time we’ll use the floo,” Harry nodded, not really giving Draco an option to protest.

Once Draco felt like his legs weren’t going to wobble any longer, and that he wasn’t going to puke again, he followed Harry into the house.

“Sirius and Remus have been clearing the house out,” he explained as Draco immediately took notice of how bright, open, and airy everything seemed to be.

“It’s been a task and a half,” Remus admitted. “The sheer amount of charms, enchantments, wards, and generally dangerous spells housed within these walls is nothing short of staggering. I’m honestly surprised that one of us hasn’t ended up in St. Mungos yet. And let’s not even get into the angry ass pictures.”

Harry and Draco made their way upstairs to the room Harry had claimed as his own a few years earlier and had become quite comfortable with the summer before. Dropping their bags at the foot of the bed, the pair returned back to the main level and found Sirius and Remus in the living room.

“No tree?” Harry asked, surprised to see no holiday decorations at all. Granted, he really had only seen decorations at school and at the Burrow, but the war was over now and he was hoping to make new memories.

“We were waiting for you,” Sirius grinned. “And Draco, of course. I figured we could go super old fashioned and find our own tree out in the wilderness.”

“He wants you to go tromping through the snow.” Remus looked unimpressed. “I’m going to stay here where it’s warm and put up decorations in the house, and maybe do some baking.”

“You bake?”

“He’s an amazing baker,” Sirius beamed. “I think I’ve put on at least twenty pounds since he moved in.”

“You moved in?”

“Well, yes,” Remus cleared his throat. “I mean, it seemed like an obvious move…” It was almost strange to see both Remus and Sirius blushing, and Harry found himself sitting down on the couch and pulling Draco down onto his lap.

“I’m not judging,” he told them, curling his arms around Draco’s waist as was now normal for the pair, and resting his chin on the blonde’s shoulder.

“Why didn’t you two move in sooner?” Draco asked, shuffling a bit to get comfortable.

“It didn’t really feel like the right time, especially with the Order being stationed here,” Sirius sighed. “Not to mention I was far from sane after escaping from Azkaban. It took a while to acclimate, though having my name cleared at the end of the war has helped.”

“Getting out of the house has helped,” Remus clarified. “And not as Padfoot, either.”

The group chatted about school and about everything going on in the neighborhood, though Harry was sure that his godfather was itching to ask all sorts of questions about his and Draco’s relationship Or whatever it was. They had yet to put any sort of title on it.


	7. Chapter 7

Sirius finally managed to convince Harry and Draco to go tree hunting in the woods two days before christmas, inwardly giddy at both the idea of celebrating christmas with his family and seeing Harry and Draco holding hands. He loved watching the two become closer and closer, and he absolutely adored the way Harry took care of Draco. Even if the blonde was less than impressed to be tromping through the snow, all of their breaths coming in steamy puffs in the cool winter air.

“I’ve been dreaming of this,” the older man admitted, his smile bright. “There is so much I missed, being in Azkaban, and with some encouragement from Remus, I made a list.”

The two walked somewhat slower than Draco, watching the blonde dart through the snow, checking out the trees. It was a good day, it seemed. A day where Draco actually smiled and found himself energetic.

“You seem to be doing a lot better,” Harry spoke honestly. “When I first met you, and I don’t mean in the shack, you seemed…”

“A bit unhinged,” Sirius nodded. “And I was, and still am. Finding out that my actions caused your parents to be murdered was more than enough to break me, and then winding up in Azkaban with the Dementors… that should have completely destroyed me. I’m still not completely well, not even after these five years, and there’s a very good chance I’ll never be completely well.”

“I worry about Draco and how he’s feeling, on the inside,” Harry sighed. “He seems to happy and full of life today, but I know that tomorrow will be different. He’s hurting, and I don’t know how to help him.” Sirius smiled, reaching over and pulling his godson into a hug.

“You ARE helping him, Harry,” Sirius assured him. “Being here for him, listening to him, providing a point of stability in the life he currently finds highly out of balance. Remus does that for me, especially on days where I’m feeling incredibly low.”

“This one!” Draco called, and as Harry turned to see which tree he had picked, his heart skipped a beat. Not because the tree was nice - it was perfectly average in size and shape - but because Draco’s smile was completely without pain, showing he was truly enjoying himself. Harry suddenly, desperately, wished he could hold onto this moment for as long as possible, and not just in the form of a memory. He wished Draco could feel this happiness always and that he was no longer burdened by the loss of his mother and the suicide of his father.

“Perfect,” Sirius declared, and Harry nodded.

“Yeah, he really is…”

*****

The house smelled of baking when the three arrived back home, covered in snow from a sudden snowball fight, and laughing happily. Remus provided treats and hot chocolate as soon as they had changed out of their winter clothes, everyone assembling in the living room.

“After a little break we can decorate,” Remus declared, motioning to where two boxes of decorations sat beside the fireplace.

Draco let out a soft yawn, finding himself resting his head against Harry’s shoulder, ignoring the treats in favor of letting his eyes slip closed. Harry instinctively let his head dip to the side, resting it on Draco’s.

“Tired?”

“A little…”

“You could just watch from the couch,” Remus smiled. “Maybe check out Harry’s butt a little, hm?” The blush that spread over not only Draco’s cheeks, but Harry’s as well was impressive, and the two jerked away from one another.

“It… it IS a nice bum,” Draco mumbled, rubbing at one of his cheeks as though he could wipe away the blush. 

“Don’t tease them, Remus,” Sirius pointed a finger at his lover as he took a bite of some sort of pumpkin cheesecake tart. “You know things are different between them and they don’t need you trying to push them faster than they are comfortable.”

“Says the man who is basically a Drarry fanboy,” Remus rolled his eyes.

“Drarry?”

“It’s kind of a pet name we made up for you,” Sirius chuckled. “Muggles do it for celebrities and it’s just a silly name we like to use when talking about the two of you. I hope you don’t mind?”

Harry shook his head, glancing at the blonde beside him, but Draco had already curled himself into a corner and drifted off to sleep.

“I doubt he’ll mind,” he smiled, reaching behind his shoulder to grab a blanket and drape it over the other boys sleeping form.

“How about we start decorating and then he has something festive to wake up to?” Remus suggested, setting his mug on the coffee table and moving to his feet.

Indeed it was quite the sight to behold when Draco woke from his nap, sleeping rather soundly despite the laughter that came from the three others residing in the house. He clearly had worn himself out while running around in the snow, but after just over an hour he woke, sitting up and stretching his arms over his head.

The first thing he noticed was the tree, fully decorated and sitting in front of the living room bay window. Sparkly lights and garland wrapped around it in somewhat messy layers, and a conjured ball of sparkling light topped everything off. The lights in the room had been dimmed to allow the lights to shine more brightly and Draco smiled, even as he rubbed the grit out of one eye.

Soft voices came from the kitchen and dining room area, prompting the blonde to move in that direction. He found Harry and Sirius laughing softly while Remus worked on making dinner.

“Hey, you’re awake.” Harry smiled and moved to his feet, automatically accepting the sleepy blonde into his arms, pressing a soft kiss to his hair. Draco nodded, nuzzling his nose into Harry’s shoulder for a moment before he stepped away and claimed a clair.

“Good nap?” Sirius asked.

“I didn’t think I was that tired,” Draco admitted. “I remember talking about Harry’s butt and then I was suddenly waking up to a very nicely decorated christmas tree.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t wake up,” Harry chuckled. “We weren’t really all that quiet, and the tree fell over… twice…”

“I accidentally added Harry to the decorations,” Sirius added, grinning. “I tossed some garland around the tree, thinking it would be faster than circling it, and it looped around Harry’s neck as well. Then I pulled it tight and tried to strangle him.”

“Alas,” Draco smiled.

“Plans for the holidays, you two?” Remus asked as he made his way into the dining room area, dinner levitating along behind him. Everyone sat back as plates containing steak, green beans, and garlic mashed potatoes settled in front of them.

“Wow, you have some serious kitchen skills, Remus,” Harry said, licking his lips. “I mean, we eat well at school, but there’s just something about home cooked meals… We lived on take out all summer.”

“Yes, well, being two men who aren’t really in demand for jobs means that it’s much cheaper to cook at home versus eating out all the time,” Remus sighed a little. “Even with his name clear, no one has any interest in hiring Sirius. And my status isn’t any better.”

“I don’t look forward to trying to get a job,” Draco spoke softly, grateful to see that his plate contained much less food that the rest of them. He wasn’t very hungry nowadays and rarely put more than a small dent in his dinner, making him feel bad about wasting food.

“It’s not like you really need to work,” Sirius started, though Remus kicked him under the table.

“Oi! What was that for!?”

“Insensitivity much?” the other man glared.

“What? How? Both Harry and Draco have vast amounts of money in their vaults. They really don’t have to work if they don’t want to!” Sirius protested, moving his legs away before Remus could kick him again.

As they bickered, the two younger males in question simply ate their dinner and watched the conversation go back and forth. It was true, Harry had the vault left behind by his parents, and Draco had received all of his family’s wealth upon his father’s death, though he had also come into his inheritance at the age of seventeen anyways.

“Do you think we’ll be like that when we’re older?” the blonde asked, enjoying the fresh steamed green beans on his plate.

“Probably,” Harry shrugged, though he found himself glancing at Draco our of the corner of his eye.

“Do you want to be together at their age?” he asked carefully. He knew he was asking a possibly stupid question, considering the two of them were technically going to be together for the rest of their lives, thanks to the soul bond, but they were still figuring things out. Draco simply blushed a little and looked away, opting out of the conversation. Best left for another time, Harry surmised.

*****

Christmas day came quickly and small gifts were exchanged, a delicious breakfast was had (seriously, Remus should become a chef!), and soon Harry and Draco were getting ready to head to the Burrow. Harry could tell that Draco was nervous, the blonde picking at his fingernails often enough that Harry had taken notice and gently slapped his hands away. He ignored the looks from Remus and Sirius as he gently kissed Draco’s abused fingers, assuring the blonde that everything would be okay. After all, Molly had seemed overjoyed at the idea of the two of them dating.

“We’ll be back in a few days,” Harry told his godfather (and godfather-in-law?), holding his and Draco’s backpacks in one hand. “Draco wants to see the fireworks, and that’s not something the Weasley’s really do, being outside the city and all.”

They were waved off, stepping through the floo and appearing in the compact living room of the Burrow… and directly into Ginny who was passing the fireplace. While Harry tried to disentangle himself from his friend, Draco came through the floo and promptly tripped over the two, adding to the heap on the floor.

Everyone laughed.

“Sorry about that, Ginny,” Harry said sheepishly, helping the redheaded young woman off the floor with one hand and assisting Draco with his other hand.

“I should have known it was time for you two to arrive,” she smiled. “That’ll teach me to be in proximity to the fireplace when we have guests scheduled.”

“You just missed Bill and Fluer,” Molly told them, coming over to take their bags from them and getting Ron to run them upstairs.

“Charlie sends his regards,” Arthur smiled from his position in his favorite arm chair. “He’s dealing with a delicate situation in Romania and wasn’t able to come home this year.”

“But we’re here, Harry!” Fred grinned, spreading his arms to motion to himself and George.

“Because I never see you two,” the brunette laughed, absently reaching out to take Draco’s hand in his own and leading the blonde over to an open loveseat.

“It’s wonderful to have you here, Draco,” Molly approached the pair carrying two steaming mugs of apple cider. “We’re so happy Harry found someone that makes him happy.” Draco blushed, accepting the mug with a quiet thank you.

“Mom, you’ll embarrass them,” Ron sighed. “They’ve barely been a couple all that long.” More like barely at all, Harry mused, but he wasn’t going to try to explain things. Though considering the Weasley bloodline was one of the few remaining pureblood lines, he wondered if perhaps Molly and Arthur would actually know something helpful.

“Are you two hungry at all?” the older woman asked and Draco shook his head, one hand immediately jumping to his stomach.

“Remus fed us an amazing breakfast,” Harry explained. “We ate after gifts and everything, so I guess it was more of a brunch.”

“Oh! Gifts!” Molly threw her hands in the air so abruptly that Draco jerked back a little, pulling his knees against his chest and yet somehow managing to not spill his delicious homemade cider. They watched as the woman made her way over to the huge pine tree sitting in a corner, retrieving several lovingly wrapped packages. Harry knew what was coming, he received one every year after all, but he was surprised to see a rather large one placed between himself and Draco.

“Two for each of you,” Molly explained. “And one for the two of you. Hopefully I’m not being two presumptuous…”

Harry wasted no time in setting his drink aside, tearing into the first package. Just as he was expecting, a red and gold ‘Weasley Sweater’ with a large H adorning the front. As he removed his current zip-up hoodie and donned the new sweater, Harry peered over at Draco. The blonde was holding up his own sweater, this one green and grey. He was officially part of the Weasley family.

“I hope you like it,” Molly started, but her eyes widened as she saw tears welling up in Draco’s silver eyes. Motherly instincts kicked into high gear and the older woman quickly rushed to embrace the blonde, holding Draco against her chest and stroking his hair as he began to sob. Harry’s heart lurched a little at the sound coming from his friend, but he knew there was no stopping the tears.

“Shh, it’s okay sweetheart,” Molly soothed, sitting down on the couch as Harry quickly vacated his potion. Draco clung to her like a small child would, his new sweater crushed in between them, as he cried into her shoulder.

Arthur cleared his throat and motioned for his kids to head upstairs for a bit, quietly telling them that they could come back down when the moment had passed. He gave Harry a nod, watching the boy stick close to Draco as everyone else left the room. Molly met his eyes and offered a small smile, rocking Draco in her arms with all the love and tenderness she would have shown her own children.

It took nearly thirty minutes for Draco to calm down and feel like he could face the rest of the family again, the last of his tears dried and a charm used to clear the redness from his face. Harry settled into the spot beside him once more, reaching out to stroke Draco’s cheek with a smile.

“I’m okay, Harry,” the blonde tried to assure him, but Harry leaned close and kissed his cheek none the less.

“How about you two open the rest of your gifts,” Arthur declared, he, Ginny, Ron, Fred, and George all arranging themselves on couches and chairs once again. Draco nodded, wiggling into his sweater before he picked up the second package that had his name on it. He and Harry each received a house-colored scarf, knitted cap, and mittens, making the pair smile. When they opened the huge package, Harry was shocked to see a full size blanket filling their laps. It was black with a silver and gold trim as well as a gold H and a silver D on it and was rather hefty, perfect for winter months.

“It’s amazing,” Harry smiled at the woman he saw as his surrogate mother. “But Draco and I, we aren’t, I mean--”

“Ron explained everything,” Arthur interrupted, waving a hand. “Well, he explained enough that I sent a letter to Severus for confirmation, actually.”

“So you know about the soul bond…”

“Of course dear,” Molly smiled. “It’s very old magic, but with a little help from Severus, we understand.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Harry tried to apologize but they wouldn’t hear of it, assuring him that it was no trouble at all.

“Kids don’t tell their parents everything,” Molly rationalized. “Think nothing of it.”

*****

Although they had stayed up quite late, Ron found himself up oddly early the next morning. He left the comforts of his warm bed to use the bathroom, pleased to find it available and glad he didn’t have to wait to use the facilities. Perks of being awake somewhat early, he supposed.

Returning to the bedroom and about to push open the door, Ron realized Harry and Draco were having a quiet conversation, and it sounded quite serious. He couldn’t help but peer carefully through the partially cracked door, seeing the two facing one another in the small bed they were sharing.

“You know that’s now how I feel, Draco,” Harry sighed, gently sliding his hand over the slight curve of Draco’s hip, fingers dipping just a little under his shirt to feel smooth skin.

“I can’t help the way I feel,” Draco explained, lifting a hand to rub at his eyes a little. Clearly this was already an emotional conversation for the two and with Draco’s heightened emotional state, the blonde was unsure about the situation.

“I like you, Draco, you know this,” Harry tried to assure the blonde. “I know things are weird between us because of the soul bond, but you know what Snape said. In order for the bond to take, there had to be some sort of attraction between us, and not just one way. I’ve had feelings for you, one way or another, since the day we met. Maybe I tried to ignore them, or maybe I was distracted by the war, but those feelings were still there.”

Harry shuffled his feet, gently tangling them with Draco’s in an attempt to make even more contact. His palm slid under the shirt Draco had chosen to wear as pajamas and rested against his side, feeling Draco take long, deep breaths.

“I feel like anyone else in our situation would be having sex,” Draco muttered. “Shouldn’t we be having sex? Isn’t that what people in relationships do?”

“Relationships don’t require sex,” Harry smiled, rubbing his fingers against Draco’s skin ever so gently. “I mean, yeah, we’re horny teenagers, getting boners and wanking is what we do, but I don’t feel any less close to you just because we’re not having sex.”

“I don’t want you to be with me because you feel like you have to,” Draco tried to argue, but Harry silenced him. Not with a shake of his head, and not even with a finger. Harry silenced the blonde by leaning forward and pressing his lips against Draco’s, his hand moving off Draco’s hip to cup his cheek.

Ron, now joined by Ginny and the twins, found himself doing a little dance in the hallway, but he was careful not to make the floorboards creak. Ginny pumped her fist in celebration and the twins managed a silent high five. It was about damn time.

“I’m with you because I want to be,” Harry all but whispered as he broke the kiss. “I’m with you because I have feelings for you, and I’m not talking about the stupid bond. I knew you were the one I wanted to be with back in sixth year when I followed you to that bathroom and saw you crying. My heart broke for you and all I wanted, more than anything right that moment, was to hold you and make everything okay.”

“And you did,” Draco sniffled, once more overwhelmed by his emotions. Depression sucked. “You saved me, Harry… in so many more ways than one…”

The two came together once again, sharing another soft, sweet kiss. There was no need to rush into things, no need to press for sex. After all, they had all the time in the world.

The four Weasley children dispersed off into the house - Ginny and the twins back to their rooms and Ron opted to head downstairs and make himself a bed on the couch. It was way too early to be awake and he wanted Harry and Draco to have this moment to themselves.

When you lived in the Burrow, nothing was a secret. Not really.


	8. Epilogue - Seamus and Zephyr

“I’m of legal age,” Zephyr sighed, watching his lover pace back and forth in front of him as they packed to leave school for the final time.

“I know!”

“Which means you know that there’s nothing he can really say about this,” the blonde continued, motioning to the simply silver ring resting on his left ring finger.

“But he will!” Seamus threw his hands in the air, one hand containing his wand, causing some of his clothing to fly across the room. Zephyr rolled his eyes and flicked his own wand, cleaning the other male’s mess.

“Of course he will, he’s my father. That’s just what father’s do, but you’re also going to finally meet my dad and he’s a lot less high strung. They balance one another out, that’s what makes their relationship so perfect.”

Seamus groaned, shoving a hand through his hair before he packed away his last few belongings and closed his trunk. The large, heavy box would be magically relocated to the train so Seamus simply moved to his bed and held out both his hands towards Zephyr.

“Are you sure you can’t ride the train with me?” he asked, pouting just a little, though it looked funny on the nineteen year old.

“We floo out via the fireplace in papa’s office,” Zephyr sighed, accepting Seamus’ hands and moving to his feet. He released Seamus’ hands and curled his arms around his new fiance’s neck, lifting onto his toes and sharing a sweet kiss.

“I’ll see you in two days,” Seamus smiled, though it was somewhat sad. He rested his forehead against Zephyr’s, looking deeply into bi-chromial eyes.

“Two days,” the blonde echoed, nodding. In two days Seamus would officially state his intentions to both Severus and Maximus, making it clear that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Zephyr.

*****

You would think that Seamus would call the war the scariest thing he had ever been through, but the brunette would easily admit that sitting in the Maxwell-Snape family living room was by far the worst thing in the world.

Severus Snape seemed to loom, even from his place in a large black arm chair, his dark eyes watching Seamus and his mouth set in a hard line.

Maximus (or Max) Maxwell (seriously, who named their child that?), on the other hand, moved about the house like some sort of bubbly fairy. His long, waist length blonde hair swished around his hips as he served cookies and tea, a never ending smile on his face.

Zephyr sat beside his fiance, their fingers laced together while his free hand helped himself to a snack. His sister had wisely vacated not only the living room, but the house itself, opting to be far, far away should insanity occur.

“I’m so excited to finally be meeting you,” Max smiled brightly, perching his slender form on the arm rest of the chair his husband resided in. “Zephyr wrote about you all the time, and Severus has made comments, of course, but meeting you is so much better.”

“Thank you,” Seamus managed to force out, taking a sip of his tea. “It’s an honor to be here.” Zephyr bit back a smile and simply offered a squeeze of the hand, hoping Seamus would relax a little.

“Zephyr is planning on a career in herbology, like his father,” Severus began, lifting a hand to motion to his husband. “What are your plans for the future?”

“Well, uh, I have an offer to work with the Weasley twins in their shop in the Alley,” Seamus explained, setting his mug of tea down in order to prevent any spillage - his hands were quite shaky.

“Oh, they have a fabulous joke shop!” Max grinned, though his smiled faded when he received a look from Severus.

“They concede that I have a particular proliferation for pyrotechnics,” Seamus continued. “They’re very talented on their own but they think that my skills will help them take things to the next level.”

“They shop is doing really well,” Max admitted. “It always seems busy, even when school is in session.”

“That’s because they have new doors that link them to Hogsmeade,” Severus all but grumbled, his frown never really leaving his face. “This year’s students have had a lot more of their products on school grounds, even if said products are actually banned.”

“They’re going to expand and I can help with that,” Seamus nodded. “I’m going to help them become even more prosperous.”

“And your living arrangements?”

“I’m already looking for flats in the Alley and in Hogsmeade. I could stay at home and simply floo in and out but I’d prefer to be out on my own. Until that time, the twins have offered me a room in their flat, which is above the shop.”

“It sounds like you have everything coming together,” Max smiled yet again, resting a hand on his husband’s arm. “And with Zephyr working in the Alley at the potions shop, living somewhere with easy access is a no brainer.”

“Flooing from home is easy enough,” Severus tried to interrupt but Max simply squeezed his arm, effectively silencing him.

“You came here to plead your case as to why you are a good choice for our son,” the blonde continued. “But you’ve already staked your claim on him.”

Zephyr blushed.

Seamus’ eyes widened.

Severus twisted to stare at his husband.

“What?”

“Seamus has already asked Zephyr to marry him,” Max said sweetly. “And our son said yes. He was wearing a very nice ring on that very special finger when he arrived home two days ago, but was quick to glamor it so it wouldn’t be seen.”

“I didn’t think you had noticed,” Zephyr admitted, looking rather sheepish. He tapped two fingers against his ring finger, allowing the glamor magic to fade away and bringing the silver ring into view.

Seamus thought for sure that Severus was going to come right out of his chair and strangle him, or perhaps even use some sort of spell against him, but Max seemed to have full control over his unhappy mate.

“Seamus wanted to do things properly, like coming here and talking to the two of you, but there was a moment during the graduation party…” Zephyr found himself blushing, gently rubbing his fingers against his ring. “I wouldn’t have asked to have it any other way.”

“I really didn’t think we would have to deal with this so soon,” Severus sighed, noting how his son continually returned to holding Seamus’ hand. “And I certainly didn’t expect you to be the one we went through this with.”

“Dad subscribes to the Muggle lesbian U-Haul stereotype,” Zephyr clarified, rolling his eyes.

“I’m going to start dinner,” Max said as he moved to his feet. “The boys can take a walk, Zephyr can show Seamus the sights, and us adults can have a chat.” Severus moved to argue but was once more silenced by a look from his husband, causing the dark haired male to nod and follow the older blonde to the kitchen.

Seamus and Zephyr held hands as they walked through the cobblestone streets, the blonde stepping close to his fiance’s side.

“That went better than I think either of us expected,” he smiled, turning his head to press a kiss to the side of Seamus’ arm. “He didn’t even sling a spell at you, or even a potion, though I guess the latter could be hidden in your dinner.” When Seamus groaned, Zephyr laughed, his nose wrinkling a little in his amusement.

“I’m just teasing. You know dad won’t let that happen, especially when he likes you so much. I’ve been writing to him since Christmas.”

“Really?”

“Christmas is when I realized I wanted more than to just shag you,” the blonde smiled. “Not that I don’t absolutely adore having sex with you.”

“Zephyr!” Seamus swatted at his fiance. “We’re in public!”

“Indeed we are, and yet there’s no one around. This is a quiet neighborhood, don’t worry so much. Besides, imagine what’s going to come out of my mouth when we’re all alone in our flat.”

“Oh, it’s OUR flat now, is it?”

“My dad sure thinks so, not that I have any complaints. I love my family, but I’m ready to be out on my own… preferably with you.”

“I’ll find something as soon as I can,” Seamus promised, pausing to share a soft kiss. The future looked bright.


	9. Epilogue - Harry and Draco

Despite having the option to live in Grimmauld Place, Harry and Draco opted to find themselves an apartment within Diagon Alley. The owner of the potions shop apparently saw something deep inside Draco that he felt the need to nurture, the aging man offering Draco an apprenticeship to become a Potions Master. Seeing as he didn’t have any other real prospects (having the last name Malfoy was not helpful in life), the blonde eagerly agreed, especially when the apprenticeship came with a small flat above the shop itself.

Harry hadn’t been scouted for any of the professional Quidditch teams and while he knew he could apply for a Ministry job of some sort, it just didn’t feel right for the Boy Who Lived. For the time being, Harry opted to look around the Alley and see what he could find that actually interested him.

“This place is pretty decent,” he remarked, looking around the apartment Draco had been given. “Only one bedroom, not that I think that’s going to be a problem, though any visitors we might have may complain about having to sleep on the couch.”

“We’ll upgrade the couch, then,” Draco smiled, embracing his boyfriend from behind and resting his chin on Harry’s shoulder. The flat wasn’t spacious by any means, the kitchen, dining room, and living room all basically one large space, but it was more than enough room for the two of them.

“I think I’ll see if the Quidditch shop is hiring,” Harry said, turning in Draco’s arms and looping his arms around the blonde’s neck.

“Does it bother you that you didn’t get to play professionally?”

“Not really… I mean, it would have been nice, Quidditch is something I really loved, but I guess my luck has finally worn out.”

“War does that,” Draco nodded, smiling. “I’d like to think your luck lasted precisely as long as you needed it. You survived.”

“We both did,” Harry returned the smile, resting his forehead against Draco’s. His fingers found their way into Draco’s short blonde hair, watching as the action made Draco’s eyes flutter closed. Who knew that the other boy would enjoy having his hair played with so much, but spending a year getting to know one another had enlightened them to a lot of things. Things Harry was sure would have been overlooked had they simply jumped into having sex.

“I was thinking,” he continued, enjoying the moment as they stood in the middle of their new home.

“Mmhmm…?”

“I was thinking we could get married. Officially.”

Draco’s eyes opened rather quickly, surprise followed by confusion, his brow furrowing just a little. They were soul bonded, which was essentially the original form of Wizard marriage, so why did they need to make it official?

“I figured you’d be confused,” Harry chuckled, continuing to work his fingers through the spikey hair. “Even with this soul bond, we haven’t really done things typically. And maybe I’m just a little possessive, but I’d really like to tell everyone that you’re mine and not available for anyone else.”

“Cheesy,” Draco teased, letting their bodies sway just a little.

“I’d like to think that you enjoy my cheese,” was the retort. “Is that a yes, then? Will you marry me?”

Draco looked around the apartment, taking note of their school trunks sitting side by side outside their bedroom door, and the few worldly possessions sitting on the dining room. All furnishings had been provided for them, but for the time being the apartment didn’t have any indication that it was housing the two lovers.

“A place of our own, a job to support us, and a sparkly ring on my finger?” he mused, bringing his attention back to Harry. “Sounds like heaven. When?”

“While I’d love to say we simply elope, I think the Weasley family would disown us if we opted in that direction. But that doesn’t mean I can’t take you down to the jewelers and let you pick out any ring you desire.”

“A big wedding,” Draco nodded. “With sparkly lights, and candles, and everyone we know.”

“Anything you want,” Harry promised. “Anything and everything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do apologize if these last two chapters, the epilogues, were not the quality of writing you've come to expect from me. I have no excuse to offer out, I only hope you enjoyed Soul Bound and my attempts to bring a new view to the whole "soul mates" genre.
> 
> I wanted nothing more than to view the bond in a different light - I didn't want the characters to simply hop into bed together and suddenly they were the perfect couple.
> 
> On the line of thought, I also wanted to protray depression and it's symptoms as something more than "Ohhh, he's so emo, it makes him all angsty and cool." Because that's not what depression is, it's not glamorous or alluring. Depression is painful and heart wrenching and sometimes all you need is someone who will sit in a shower and hold you while you spill everything that's inside your mind.
> 
> Thank you all for your kudos and comments, I'm grateful for every single one. Remember to love and support one another, and seek help if you need it. There is no shame in asking for help.


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